William Aikman
Scottish, 1682 - 1731
NationalityBritish
BiographyWilliam Aikman was born in Cairnie, Forfar, Tayside, October 24, 1682 and died in London, June 4, 1731. Having established himself as the leading portrait painter in Edinburgh, Aikman sought his fortune in the lucrative market of London. Aikman's early training with Sir John Baptist Medina was supplemented by three years in Rome studying the work of Baroque artists. He returned to his native Scotland in 1712, where his portrait practice flourished under the patronage of the nobility and gentry. Following the death of Sir Godfrey Kneller in 1723, Aikman settled in London where he gained the patronage of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, and Sir Robert Walpole. His influential friends included the poets Alexander Pope and Thomas Gray.
Person TypeIndividual
Scottish, 1785 - 1841
Alternative Names: David Wilkie
Scottish, 1713-1784, active in England
Alternative Names: Allan Ramsay
British, 1697-1764
Alternative Names: William Hogarth
British, 1646 - 1723
Alternative Names: Godfrey Kneller
British, 1721 - 1761
Alternative Names: Lady Frances (Finch) Courtenay
British, 1723-1792
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British, born 1731
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British, 1721 - 1764
Alternative Names: Thomas Crathorne
British, 1734-1802
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German, 1723 - 1787
Alternative Names: Karl Friedrich Abel
British, 1735-1786
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