Sir William Blake Richmond RA

The Shepherd

Egg Tempera on wood panel

£16,000

Sir William Blake Richmond KCB RA PPRBSA (29 November 1842 – 11 February 1921) was a British painter, sculptor, and designer of stained glass and mosaic. He is renowned for his portrait work and the decorative mosaics in St Paul's Cathedral, London.

Richmond played a pivotal role in the early development of the Arts and Crafts Movement, particularly through his bold use of colors and materials for the mosaics in St Paul's Cathedral and his partnership with James Powell and Sons, glassmakers. This collaboration led to the creation of new colors and materials, broadening the glassmaker's palette and gaining favor among artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement, especially in the design of stained-glass windows and decorative artworks. Richmond also served as the Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Oxford from 1878 to 1883, following in the footsteps of his friend and mentor, John Ruskin.

William Blake Richmond, born on November 29, 1842, in Marylebone, was the son of George Richmond RA, a distinguished portrait painter and member of The Ancients, alongside Samuel Palmer and Edward Calvert. He was named after his father's dear friend, the renowned poet William Blake.