Creator Record
Metadata
Name |
Feke, Robert, circa 1707-circa 1752 |
Nationality |
American |
Notes |
ULAN ID: 500004317 LCC ID: nr93050924 Robert Feke (1707-1752), one of the earliest native colonial painters, was born in Oyster Bay, Long Island, the second son of Robert Feke Senior, a Baptist minister and blacksmith. Most historians treat Feke as a member of the New England School - along with Smibert and Copley who painted primarily in Boston - although Feke was first discovered as a Philadelphia painter. Nothing certain is known of his early career, but it is said that during an absence of several years, he was taken prisoner and carried to Spain, where he learned to paint. After his release he was established as a portrait painter in Boston. In 1742 he married Eleanor Cozzens, a Quaker and the daughter of Newport's most prominent tailor, Leonard Cozzens, and settled in Newport. He painted in Philadelphia in 1746, was back in Newport in May of 1747 and in Philadelphia again 1749-50. He made a number of trips to England and the Continent. After April 7, 1750, Feke's whereabouts are uncertain until he attended his brother-in-laws's wedding in Newport on August 26, 1751. A map of Barbados made in 1750 lists him as the owner of a large plantation, and it is possible he died here in 1752. (Bayley 4-5 ) ("American Painting to 1776: A Reappraisal" , 1971, Winterthur Conference Report, edited by Ian M. G. Quimby, 184-216) |
Role |
Artist |
