{"title":"Oakley RWS, Octavius (1800–1867)","description":"\u003cp\u003eOctavius Oakley RWS (1800–1867) was born in Bermondsey, the son of a wool merchant. With the intention of going into the medical field, Oakley attended the school of Dr Nicholas at Ealing. Following his father's trade, however, he initially worked for a textile company in Leeds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is not known whether Oakley ever had any formal art education but his natural skill for drawing, particularly portraiture, was obvious at a very early age. He developed into a popular and successful portraitist; exhibiting at the Royal Academy from 1825, he received many prestigious commissions, among them Prince George and Princess Augusta of Cambridge, and the Duke of Devonshire.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOakley moved to Derby, where he began to paint rustic scenes, then in 1836 he moved to Leamington Spa, becoming a friend of the artist Thomas Baker. In 1841 he returned to London. Here, his emphasis on gypsy paintings, which he exhibited at the Royal Watercolour Society, earned him the name 'Gypsy Oakley'.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOakley's youngest daughter, Isabel, was also an artist. She married the Guernsey artist Paul Jacob Naftel, a friend of Oakley's, becoming Isabel Naftel. Their daughter, Maud Naftel, also became a notable artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWorks by Oakley are represented in a number of public collections, including the British Museum, Birmingham Art Gallery and the Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"octavius-oakley-rws-a-gypsy-girl-in-a-red-cloak-mid-c19th-watercolour-painting-jy-872","title":"Octavius Oakley RWS, A Gypsy Girl in a Red Cloak –mid-C19th watercolour painting","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn original mid-19th-century watercolour painting, Octavius Oakley RWS, A Gypsy Girl in a Red Cloak.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn arresting, large portrait rendered with beautiful sensitivity by Octavius Oakley RWS (1800–1867). Approximately 2.5 x 2 foot (framed size).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOakley is known for his 'gypsy' subjects, which he exhibited at the Royal Watercolour Society; so much so, that he became known as 'Gypsy Oakley'.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a remarkably beautiful portrait, painted with realism and simplicity, without the 'exotic' accouterments sometimes used to denote 'gypsy' in the 19th-century. The red clock and partially visible tent indicate the subject, but the portrait has an affecting universality to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGypsy subjects did nevertheless hold a fascination for the Victorian public, during an era of Empire, when there was immense curiosity for exploration, particularly an exploration of newly 'discovered' cultures at once exotic and subversive to traditional English identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the 18th century, Thomas Gainsborough was the first British artist to portray gypsies, and did much to elevate the subject as legitimate and worthy of depiction in oil. His painting 'The Gypsies', c.1758, was his first to be published commercially as a print, bringing the subject to the British public on a wider scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy the mid-19th century, gypsies could be described as something of an obsession within Victorian culture, featuring widely in literature, both fiction and non-fiction. The best-selling traveller-writer George Borrow (1803–1881) in particular developed a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe, and his work The Romany Rye (1857) – ‘The Gypsy Gentleman’ told of his first-hand encounters with gypsy culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePresented in a handsome 19th-century gilt wood and gesso frame.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eImage size: 44.5 x 30.5cm. Frame size: 76 x 61cm.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Somerset \u0026 Wood","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52019015745865,"sku":"JY-872","price":680.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0930\/4306\/5161\/files\/jy-872.jpg?v=1743507884"}],"url":"https:\/\/somersetandwood.com\/de-eu\/collections\/oakley-rws-octavius-1800-1867.oembed","provider":"Somerset \u0026 Wood Fine Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}