JOHN WHITE ABBOTT (1763-1851)

John White Abbott was a painter, watercolourist, engraver, draughtsman & illustrator. He took up painting initially as a hobby but studying under Frances Towne, he became well known for his animals & human figures.
He was particularly influenced by the lesser Dutch masters, notably Peter de Laes. His work sufficiently impressed contemporaries such as sir Joshua Reynolds and Benjamin West that they urged him to exhibit at the Royal Academy, and he submitted work to the Academy, mostly oils, between 1794 & 1821.