William Daniell is arguably the foremost topographical artist produced by Britain. Mastering both oil paint and the delicate aquatint printmaking process, Daniell developed his career as a professional artist under the tutelage of his uncle, Thomas Daniell, with whom he was sent to live after the early death of his father in 1779.
Thomas Daniell and his then sixteen-year-old apprentice undertook extensive travel to India in 1786, during which time they executed their first series of aquatints, with the guidance of local Indian craftsmen. This extraordinary journey lasted some eight years, ranging from Calcutta to Delhi and as far as Garhwal in the Himalayas.
Upon his return to England, it is reputed that the younger Daniell spent the next seven years working from six in the morning until midnight each day perfecting his aquatint technique. His hard-earned expertise was shown to best effect in A Voyage Round Britain, an eight-volume folio of prints.
The journey upon which this masterwork was based was completed in six separate trips, over the period 1813 to 1823. Pencil sketches were made with notes regarding colour and texture, with the prints later produced in remarkable detail in the artist’s London studio. This significant body of work was published by Longman between 1814 and 1825, and remains a testament to the artist’s skill and industriousness. Such was its popularity that many scenes from the folio remain ubiquitous in art collections around the UK to this day.
Daniell’s travels in Scotland were extensive, encompassing the Orkney islands and many of the Hebrides. Scotland remained a fertile source of inspiration for Daniell and indeed many of the oils he produced for the Royal Academy exhibitions of 1813 to 1825 were of Scottish subjects, explaining why his name is often synonymous with the country’s landscape and its landmarks.
Daniell was elected to the Academy in 1822, beating John Constable in the same ballot by six votes. As well as being greatly respected in his field, he was a well-travelled individual with a peerless work ethic and innovative approach to making his own fortune, which indeed he did, very successfully so.
Daniell’s work is represented in many leading institutions both nationally and internationally.
