SHEPPERSON, Matthew

1785 - 1874

Matthew Shepperson was baptised at Pulham St Mary Magdalen, Norfolk on 30 October 1785, eldest son and second child of Samuel Shepperson, jun. and his wife Elizabeth née Richards, who married at Pulham St Mary on 4 February 1783. Matthew married at St Mary, Lambeth, London on 25 March 1813, Emma Brightly (1788-2 December 1869), daughter of Charles Brightly, printer of Bungay, Suffolk. Matthew attained fair success as a portrait painter, his clients included King George IV and his successor King William IV and he exhibited at the Royal Academy also showing from London at the Norwich Society of Artists in 1819, 'Portrait of Mr. J. G. Walker' and also painted copies of portraits and sold them to numerous nobleman and high ranking clergy and on 10 December 1819 was awarded a silver medal by the Royal Academy 'for the best Copy made with the School of Painting'. He also taught painting in circles of nobility, to socially prominent young ladies. In 1841, a '50' year old artist living at Sherrard Street, St James, Westminster with his '50' year old wife Emma. By 1861, a 74-year-old 'fund holder', living at 14 Brompton Road, St Mary Abbotts, Kensington with his 73-year-old wife Emma, who died in 1869, and in 1871, an 84-year-old retired artist, living at Alfred Place, Kensington, London with his unmarried niece, 47-year-old Emily Prentice of Southwold, Suffolk 'attendant on uncle' and kept one servant. Matthew Shepperson died at 6 Alfred Place, Thurloe Square, Brompton, Kensington on 10 December 1874, aged 89 and his will was proved the following year by John Matthew Barnes of Morningthorpe, Norfolk in the sum of £35,000. John Childs, whom he painted, was his brother-in-law and of the Bungay firm of printers Brightly & Childs later Richard Clay of Bungay. About 1823-24 he painted a copy of John Hoppner's 'Horatio Nelson', which is now in the collections of the National Maritime Museum. In August 2010, some of the paintings from Shepperson's collection, were sold by auction at Bonham's, London which included Velazquez's 'Portrait of a Gentleman', which was purchased by New York dealer Otto Naumann for $4.7 million (£3 million). His personal collection of material is in the Yale Center for British Art and his self-portrait was sold at Bonham's London on 4 August 2010.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from 15 Moore Place, Lambeth
1818 150 Portrait of a Child
1821 4 Portrait of a Gentleman
         190 Portrait of a General Officer

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Works by This Artist