Richard Morton Paye
Richard Morton Paye was an important painter of the early English School and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. During his lifetime Paye was considered one of the most gifted painters in England but various personal misfortunes befell him and he died virtually penniless and in relative obscurity.
Early life
Richard Morton Paye was the son of John Paye and his wife Elizabeth Morton and was baptised at Botley, Hampshire in 1750. As a young man he worked at chasing.Royal Academy
Paye's name first appeared at the Royal Academy in 1773 when he had six works accepted for the summer exhibition. Besides two oil paintings, there were four wax models; his style of modelling was compared to George Michael Moser. That year he sold a painting to Joseph Holden Pott. Over the next 30 years he exhibited on 66 occasions at the Royal Academy. In The Library of Fine Arts, published 12 years after Paye's death, it was said that...Richard Morton Paye also exhibited at the Society of Artists and the British Institution.
Subjects and style
Like William Hogarth, Paye's favourite subject was the ordinary people of London, and in particular its street children, often depicted in a style reminiscent of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Recent studies of Paye's work have shown that his methods and use of colour were highly innovative. He was also a perfectionist and the time he spent on his paintings led one of his patrons, the satirist John Wolcot, to predict that he would "paint himself into a gaol". Paye had little business acumen and was described as having suffered from "the calamities and disappointments of genius".Personal setbacks
Paye's relationship with his principal patron Wolcot eventually broke down: Wolcot did not take kindly to being caricatured himself. When Paye exhibited his "Portrait of a Sulky Boy" at the Royal Academy in 1785 Wolcot suspected the model was his illegitimate son. When Paye published a comic image of Wolcot himself, depicted as a bear standing in front of an easel, he withdrew his patronage.Paye's misfortune was compounded when he suffered a stroke and consequently lost the use of his right arm. He set about relearning how to paint with his left hand only. He continued to have paintings accepted at major London exhibitions. Eventually, though, he descended into near poverty. Financial assistance was found for Paye from the Artists' Benevolent Fund. According to his obituary, his passion and talent remained undimmed and "the love of Art sustained him through all; neither privations nor disappointment could check the ardour of his enthusiasm, nor could sickness in its most appalling shape quench the powers of genius."