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John Crome (1768-1821) 
Aliases: John (1768) Crome; Old Crome
Professions: Painter; Etcher
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JOHN CROME 1768-1821
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John Crome (1768-1821)
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John Crome (1768-1821)
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AN ENGLISH PAINTED METAL, PROBABLY ZINC, DOUBLE SIDED TAVERN SIGN ENTITLED 'THE MAN WITH A LOAD OF MISCHIEF'
Biography: Crome
(b Norwich, 22 Dec 1768; d Norwich, 22 April 1821). English painter, printmaker, collector and teacher. The son of a journeyman weaver, he was apprenticed to a coach and sign painter, Francis Whisler, from 1783 to 1790. He presumably continued in this trade and during the 1790s consolidated his artistic training. Early local influences upon Crome included William Beechey and John Opie, but the friendship of Thomas Harvey, a patron, collector and amateur artist, was the most significant. Harvey’s collection included works by Dutch 17th-century masters such as Aelbert Cuyp, Jacob van Ruisdael and Meindert Hobbema, and also works by Gainsborough and Richard Wilson. The earliest record of Wilson’s influence is provided by two oils entitled Composition in the Style of Wilson (untraced), dated 1796 and 1798 in Crome’s Memorial Exhibition of 1821. The Dutch influence was also strong throughout Crome’s career. Crome’s early acquaintance with Harvey and his collection almost certainly encouraged him to become a collector, and the Yarmouth banker Dawson Turner recorded buying pictures from Crome, including Old Masters as well as the artist’s own work.
Grove Art excerpts - Electronic ©2003, Oxford Art Online
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