Artists - David Cox

DAVID COX

This Page is provided as a REFERENCE RESOURCE - it is NOT an Inventory.

We are now retired and the Postaprint Website is no longer available. However this series of Reference Pages are being left on line. We do hope you will find them to informative and helpful. They provide details of many of the maps, books and engravings we had the pleasure of dealing in over so many years. A full index of all the Reference Pages will be found HERE.
However, my wife does have an eBay store with many attractive old maps & prints on offer.

Do visit my wife's eBay Store, JULIE'S ANTIQUE PRINTS.
You will find a nice range of antique prints, engravings, maps and books.

EMAIL ENQUIRIES

"All who have ever loved nature, must love David Cox. How not love the man who for fifty years has done liege, suit and service to the solumn purple of the far off hills, the sudden gleam of golden corn fields, the stately march or wild glee of summer clouds, the tossing of meadow grass in the uplands, or the flash of heather-bells along the moor? There was in him that intense sense of solemnity, beauty and variety of nature which made every drawing of his fresh and gladdening...North Wales was his heart. He had absorbed its colouring and contours into himself."

Unknown writer - Early part of 1859.

Click on Image to view a larger version

A Short Page Outlining the life and work of the Landscape artist - DAVID COX (1783-1859)

Born: 29th April 1783 - Died: Friday 7th June 1859

David Cox, the son of a whitesmith, was born in a small rural cottage near the parish church of St. Martin, Birmingham. His Mother, being an amiable woman, who believed her son to be too fragile to continue the work of his father, apprenticed David to a brooch and locket painter. He adorned these small items of jewellery with miniature designs. But he didn't continue for long in this field. He later gained employment as a colour grinder for scene painters of the Birmingham Theatre which was under the management of Macready the elder.

Cox was disappointed when, on the public announcement of the performance, the whole credit of his share of its production was awarded to a famous artist from London. When he complained about this, Cox was given one weeks notice to quit. But, for a short while he continued to work painting scenes for the Birmingham and Leicester Theatres that were also managed by Macready.

He moved to London in 1803, where he was first employed as a scene painter at the Astley's Theatre. This was merely a temporary post that he held until he moved into private life. He made a slender income by teaching drawing, mainly at schools. He also made sketches which he sold through Mr. Palser of Westminster road (later at the Strand). He received only a few shillings for these sketches (which in 1859 were worth at least an equal amount in pounds), and although they were inexpensive, they still sold slowly.

Cox passed on his knowledge to his students who were few until a gentleman on horseback attended by a groom sought him out. This gentleman has previously purchased some of David's sketches and at length tracked him down. Cox, however, did not believe his household when they told him that this stylish gentleman was at his door, and consumed with the work he was involved in, he was unwilling to attend him. If he had not, his career may not have progressed.

The gentleman wished to take advantage of the talent shown in the sketches he had purchased. He wanted to take lessons in water colour painting and drawing. The patron took a lesson there and then and paid Cox one Guinea for the pleasure, a price that astonished him.

From this point, David Cox's career lifted off. His lessons increased as did his sketches, which were now fetching higher prices. Before long, he had a large amount of admirers and pupils. These people sometimes accompanied him on sketching trips in various parts of Great Britain which included places that he would visit year after year.

His admirers avidly purchased the products of these excursions, usually at extremely low prices for such works, and not a patch on their value in the mid 19th century.

His first visit to Wales was in 1805 and he continued to visit this, his favoured sketching ground, almost every year until 1856, (3 years before he died). Some of the illustrations produced on these excursions were included in Roscoe's "North Wales" - c.1834.

Cox moved to Hereford in 1815 (Probably because of the surrounding scenery), and returned to London in 1827. He retired to Harbourne Heath (near Birmingham), in 1844 where he remained until he died.

David was considered to be of an amiable, cheerful spirit. He pursued his favoured labours until very near the close of a long and virtuous life. Although, in some of his later works indications of fatigue of hand may have been noticed, His guiding spirit did not flounder, and his perception was still avid which had made all that is beautiful and lovable in nature his own.

David Cox was a distinguished landscapist, and the final survivor of the worthy fraternity of landscapists (including Girton, Prout, Turner, and others). He was the originator of a school of landscape painting which was purely English but fresh to England itself when he founded it.

In the fifty years of Cox's life that he produced such work, his sketches were valued at approx. £100,000 in 1859, however, he received only a small percentage of that figure (approx. £15,000 to £20,000)

On Thursday, 6th June 1859 whilst sat in his study in his charming cottage at Harbourne, he noticed symptoms befall him which he could not misunderstand. His great and beloved mistress, Nature, had beckoned him, and he knew her utterance well. As his attendant came to help him to his bedroom, he gave one last tender look around the room that he was leaving, made a solemn reverence to the walls on which some of his choicest works were hung, exclaiming in solemn, calm tones,

"Farewell, old friends, companions and solace of a long life! I shall never see you more!"

The very next morning his illness intensified to a marked degree, and then, in the early afternoon of the same day he ceased to breathe. Less than one month later, his fellow artists and townsfolk gathered together to discuss the erection of a suitable memorial to his memory, it was suggested that a bust of the old man, and a tablet recording his great genius and his deserving character, be placed in Harbourne church. However, the finest memorial of his genius is in his works. A large collection of which were held at the French Gallery in Pall-Mall.

Postaprint Feature Pages containing information about David Cox

The Fashionable guide and Directory to the Public Places of Resort - Illustrated with Views - Published by T.Fry - c.1835.

Scanned Image of a Picture by David Cox

HANTS SOUTHAMPTON: COX. Ladies with Parasols. Attractive view. Cottage. Small figures. Trees. Church in background. Boats.

Before retiring, we supplied picture framers and antiquarian map & print dealers for over 25 years. The inventory encompasses examples of the cartographer's art from the 16th to the 19th century, along with topographical engravings, lithographs and etchings by leading artists of their generation. SEARCH our on-line Databases for historic maps, views, and engravings on virtually every subject, including Vanity Fair (Spy) Cartoons. All our offers are genuine old and historical items on a wide range of subjects. All are suitable for Art Galleries, Shops and Fine Art Retailers.
Do visit my wife's eBay Store, JULIE'S ANTIQUE PRINTS.
You will find a nice range of antique prints, engravings, maps and books.