Biography

Cosway was an important artist and collector in Regency Britain. Born in Devon, he went to London in 1754 to study under the artist William Shipley. His talents were rewarded and in the 1760s he began exhibiting his work at the Free Society of Artists and the Society of Artists. In 1769 Cosway became a student at the Royal Academy Schools where he went on to be elected a Royal Academician. He had several important patrons over his career, of which the most significant was George, Prince of Wales (later George IV). Cosway recorded George’s image from 1780-1808. Alongside his prolific career as an artist, Cosway was an important collector of art.