edward francis cunningham, also known as francesco calza or calze, was a scottish portrait painter born around 1742 in kelso, scotland. he came from a good scotch family and was said to have been born at kelso about 1742. his father, having been implicated in the attempt of the pretender in 1745, was obliged to flee from scotland to the continent, and took his son with him.
artistic training and career
edward francis cunningham studied art with much perseverance at parma, rome, venice, and paris. he is said to have assumed the cognomen of 'calze' in italy. soon after his arrival in paris, he inherited the family estates, and shortly afterwards a second bequest fell to his share, but being dissipated and extravagant, he speedily ran through all his money, and was then induced to follow the duchess of kingston to russia. on leaving her grace, he entered the service of the russian court, and afterwards went to berlin, where he found full employment as a portrait painter.notable works and style
as a portrait painter, edward francis cunningham achieved a deserved success, and some of his portraits have been engraved. he also painted a few historical subjects. his style is characterized by attention to detail and skilled use of color. some of his notable works can be found at the scottish national gallery of modern art, which is located in edinburgh, scotland.legacy and death
unhappily, edward francis cunningham's improvident habits continued, and he finally moved to london, where he died in great poverty in 1795. despite his struggles with finances, he left behind a legacy of beautiful portraits and historical paintings.- some of his works can be found at the scottish national gallery of modern art, which is located in edinburgh, scotland.
- more information about edward francis cunningham can be found on wikipedia.
- edward francis cunningham's paintings can also be explored at WahooArt, which features a collection of his works.
