William Hoare of Bath (c. 1707 – 1792),

• Was an English portraitist, painter and printmaker.
• From c. 1740 to 1759, he was the leading oil portraitist at Bath, Somerset.
• He was a foundation member of the Royal Academy.
• Born near Eye, Suffolk.
• Hoare received a gentleman's education in Faringdon.
• He showed an aptitude for drawing and was sent to London to study under Giuseppe Grisoni.
• When Grisoni went to Italy in 1728, Hoare went with him, travelling to Rome and continuing his studies under the direction of Francesco Imperiali.
• He remained in Rome for nine years, returning to London in 1737/8.
• Hoare settled in Bath, an expanding spa town popular with the wealthier classes.
• Hoare himself was a delicate etcher and published a number of private plates, mostly of family and friends, including a Miss Hoare, Christopher Anstey and the 3rd Duke of Beaufort.
• He remained the favourite of his powerful patron the Duke of Newcastle.
• He died at Bath on 12 December 1792.
• His son, Prince Hoare, achieved fame as a painter and dramatist.
• His daughter Mary Hoare was also a noted painter.
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