A Life of Portraiture and History Arthur William Devis was an English painter of history paintings and portraits. Born in London, he was the son of the artist Arthur Devis and Elizabeth Faulkner. He entered the Royal Academy Schools as a pupil in 1774, following his elder brother, Thomas Anthony Devis. His early career brought him to the notice of Sir Joshua Reynolds. In 1783, he served as a draughtsman on the British East India Company's packet Antelope during a voyage that included stops in the Pelew Islands, Canton, and Bengal. During this time, he sustained arrow wounds, including one th…