Caricatures, Campagna, and Connoisseurs: Thomas Patch and the British Grand Tour in Eighteenth-Century Italy

Introduction

Thomas Patch, Autore, 1768

This first exhibition dedicated to the work of Thomas Patch introduces the artist’s diverse activities and, at the same time, presents a rich account of the world encountered by British Grand Tourists in Italy.

Born in Exeter in April 1725, Patch was encouraged to follow his father into the medical profession. He trained in London with Dr Richard Mead but abandoned his studies and walked to Rome with Richard Dalton, a man ten years his senior who had already visited Italy. Patch quickly became an integral member of the community of British artists in Rome. He entered the studio of the French landscape painter Joseph Vernet and painted imaginary landscapes and topographical views of Rome, Tivoli, and Terme. His time in Rome was brought to an abrupt end in June 1755 when, being accused of sodomy, he was banished from Rome and moved to Florence, where he remained for the rest of his life.

In Florence he made friends with the British Resident, Sir Horace Mann, and continued to paint topographical views and Vernet-esque landscapes. Influenced by the work of Pier Leone Ghezzi and Joshua Reynolds, he drew, engraved, and painted caricatures. This interest led to a scientific study of physiognomy.

Patch was amongst the first to examine early Florentine art, and he published a series of books reproducing the painting of fifteenth-century Florence. He supplemented his livelihood by dealing in works of art, and at one time owned a manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci and an important marble by Giambologna. In 1778 he suffered a debilitating stroke, from which he recovered, only to suffer a second stroke in 1782, from which he died.

Curated by Hugh Belsey, Independent Scholar

This online exhibit was produced in Omeka by Kristen McDonald, Public Services, The Lewis Walpole Library

For questions/comments, please contact The Lewis Walpole Library, walpole@yale.edu

Published September 2025