JOHAN ZOFFANY (1733/4–1810)

Zoffany’s image shows the ‘back-of-house’ clutter and the intellectual dignity of working artists, where fine gentlemen sit on packing cases and converse with polish and good humour.

The key below identifies all of the figures in the painting:

KEY

Unless otherwise stated, artists are founder members of the Academy:

1. John Gwynn (1713–86), architect
2. Giovanni Battista Cipriani (1727–85), painter
3. Benjamin West (1738–1820), given a posture resembling his heroic history paintings andderived from the standing figure at the left foreground of the School of Athens; given prominence as an artist favoured by the King
4. Johan Zoffany, as if introducing his work, made RA by royal nomination in 1769
5. Mason Chamberlin (1727–87), portrait painter
6. Tan-che-qua, Chinese artist visiting London
7. George Barret (1732–84), landscape painter
8. Joseph Wilton (1722–1803), sculptor
9. Jeremiah Meyer (1735–89), miniature painter
10. Dominic Serres (1719–93), marine painter
11. The brothers Paul (1725–1809)
12. and Thomas (1721–98) Sandby, behaving fraternally, the former wearing Windsor uniform, though the latter was Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park
13. William Tyler (1728 –1801), sculptor and architect
14. John Inigo Richards (1731 –1810), painter
15. Francis Hayman (1708–76), popular painter of the St Martin’s Lane generation, resembling Falstaff from one of his own compositions
16. Francis Milner Newton (1720–94), painter
17. Sir William Chambers (1723–96), architect and treasurer of the Academy
18. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–92), first President
19. William Hunter (1718–83), famous surgeon and Professor of Anatomy at the Academy
20. Francesco Bartolozzi (1727–1815), engraver
21. Agostino Carlini (c.1718–90), sculptor and painter
22. Richard Wilson (1714–82), landscape painter; it was said that Zoffany painted and then removed a coat of arms of pipes and tankards to allude to Wilson’s drunkenness
23. Charles Catton The Elder (1728–98), satirical painter appropriately adopting the pose of the Cynic, Diogenes, from Raphael’s School of Athens
24. Richard Yeo (c.1720–79), medallist
25. Samuel Wale (1721–86), painter
26. Francesco Zuccarelli (1702–88), landscape painter given prominence as an artist favoured by the King
27. Edward Penny (1714–91), painter
28. Peter Toms (c.1728–77), painter
29. George Michael Moser (1706–83), enamellist and Keeper of the Academy, here setting the model’s pose and holding the sling to support his hand in comfort
30. Angelica Kauffmann (1741–1807), history painter, represented as a portrait hanging on the wall, as it was considered improper for a woman to attend the life school
31. Mary Moser (1744–1819), flower painter, represented as a painting for the same reasons as the above
32. Nathaniel Hone (1718–84), famously arrogant portrait painter given here a suitable swagger; his shadow across a canvas perhaps alludes to the supposed origin of painting (a Corinthian maid tracing her lover’s shadow)
33. Edward Burch (1730–1814), miniature painter and gem-cutter elected in 1771
34. Joseph Nollekens (1737–1823), sculptor elected in 1772
35. Richard Cosway (1742–1821), flattering portrait painter and famous dandy, here looking the part and perhaps denigrating the antique with his cane, elected in 1771
36. William Hoare (1707–92), portrait painter working in Bath