Admiral Thomas Mathews

1743 · National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

portrait

This is one of four surviving portraits Arnulphy painted of officers of a Royal Navy fleet lying off Toulon between 1742 and 1744. Thomas Mathews (1676-1751) was a British officer of the Royal Navy, who rose to the rank of admiral. Arnulphy painted this portrait while Vice-Admiral of the Red and Commander-in-Chief of the English Mediterranean fleet, 1742-44.

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About the Artist

Claude Arnulphy

1697 – 1786

French painter. His birth place is uncertain, it could be Grenoble, Lyon or Aix-en-Provence. He spent his childhood years in Paris where he was trained by his father, Charles Arnulphy, then he went to Rome to study under Benedetto Luti. He is known primarily for his portraits which are realistically detailed although somewhat stiff. He was appointed a 'Peintre du Roi' in 1783 and in 1765 he started an art school in Aix-en-Provence. His works can be found in the Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence and in the Musée de Versailles.

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