Richard Phelps (artist) facts for kids

Richard Phelps, Self-portrait, 1771, a drawing from 1771.

Sir Thomas Dyke Acland as a Boy, painted around 1760.

Richard Phelps (born 1710, died 1785) was an English artist from the 1700s. He was famous for painting portraits of important people. Many of his paintings are now in places like the National Trust, Dunster Castle, and the National Portrait Gallery, London. The British Museum even has a special book with 312 of his drawings! Phelps was also a talented landscape designer. He helped design the beautiful gardens and buildings at Dunster Castle.

About Richard Phelps

Richard Phelps came from a town called Porlock in England. He was married to a woman named Mary. Sadly, Mary passed away in 1753, and Richard died in 1785. You can find a special metal plaque in Porlock Church that remembers them and other family members.

The Phelps family had lived in Porlock for a long time, even back when Queen Elizabeth I was ruling (1558-1603). Richard Phelps owned land in Porlock, not far from his friend Coplestone Warre Bampfylde's home, Hestercombe House.

Phelps's Art Career

Bampfylde Moore Carew, painted in 1750.

Richard Phelps was mainly a portrait painter. He learned his skills from famous artists like Thomas Hudson and Sir Joshua Reynolds. Phelps worked in the Somerset area, painting portraits, fixing old paintings, and even decorating homes.

As an Artist

One of Richard Phelps's most well-known paintings is of a person named Bampfylde Moore Carew. This painting was later copied as an engraving by Faber. Phelps also showed his art in London at The Society of Artists.

The British Museum has a large collection of his drawings, with 312 pieces. These drawings show many different things, including:

• Portraits of important people.
• Drawings of himself.
• Pictures of landscapes (scenery).
• Everyday scenes.
• Religious studies.
• Funny or strange figures.

Some of the people he drew include members of the Dyke Acland family, Charles Jennens, and Margaret Luttrell. He also made sketches inspired by other famous artists like Rembrandt. In 2011, the Dovery Manor Museum showed some of Richard Phelps's paintings.

As a Designer

Margaret Fownes-Luttrell, a portrait at Dunster Castle.

Richard Phelps was hired by Henry Fownes Luttrell to help design parts of Dunster Castle. He designed the Conygar Tower, which is a three-story folly (a building built just for decoration) from 1775. It sits on top of a wooded hill and has cool pointed arches.

He also designed the Castle Mill Bridge over the River Avill. This stone bridge, built in the 1700s, replaced an older medieval bridge. It has two pointed arches and was made from local stone. It was designed to look rustic and natural, fitting in with the beautiful landscape.

Where to See His Work

Many of Richard Phelps's artworks are in public collections:

• The Burrell Collection, Glasgow Museums & Art Galleries
  • Elizabeth Prowse, painted around 1769.
• Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
  • Eleanor, Walter and Jane Burton.
  • Thomas Goldney III, painted in 1751.
• National Portrait Gallery, London
  • Bampfylde Moore Carew, painted in 1750.
• National Trust, Dunster Castle
  • Margaret Trevelyan.
  • Margaret Luttrell (twice).
  • Margaret Luttrell (1747–1792), as a child.
• National Trust, Killerton
  • Sir Thomas Dyke Acland as a Boy, painted around 1760.
• Somerset Museums Service
  • Edward Ellis as a Child.
  • Hannah Ellis, Mrs Joseph Metford.
  • Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman, 1751.
• University of Oxford
  • Peregrine Palmer, painted in 1764.