George Arnald

George Arnald (1763 – 21 November 1841) was a British painter who specialised in landscapes, including topographical views to illustrated county histories. He is best known for his celebrated painting depicting the Battle of the Nile.

Biography George Arnald was born in 1763. One account places his birth in the village of Farndip (now Farndish) in Northamptonshire (now Bedfordshire), although others suggest he was born in Berkshire. on 5 November 1810, but was never admitted to full membership. Speaking to Sir George Beaumont, who was influential in the founding of the British Institution and the National Gallery, William Wordsworth lamented Arnald's lack of literary education, stating that he The Destruction of 'L'Orient' at the Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798 by George Arnald, 1825–27. 1855 × 2690 mmProbably his best-known and most acclaimed work was a departure from his usual subject-matter. The Destruction of L'Orient at the Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798 is Arnald's only known maritime work, and was one of four paintings commissioned for £500 each

Arnald was a friend of fellow painter John Varley, and in 1798 and 1799 the two toured Wales together. His students included the portrait painter Henry William Pickersgill, and whose eminent sitters included William Wordsworth, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel.

In addition to providing illustrations for a number of books, Arnald published on his own an album of views on the River Meuse in 1828 [The river Meuse : being delineations of the picturesque scenery on the river and its banks, from the city of Liége to that of Mezières. The drawings were made ... in ... 1818 / and are etched by George Arnald, engraved in mezzotint by S. W. Reynolds, C. Turner, W. Ward ... , T. Lupton, H. Dawe, J. P. Quilley, etc. ... and other eminent engravers]. In 1839 he published A practical treatise on landscape painting in oil: illustrated by various diagrams and with two original studies in oil painted on the principles given in the treatise.

Arnald died in Pentonville, London on 21 November 1841.

Work in public collections and galleries Arnald's work features in collections including the Tate Collection, the Royal Academy of Arts Collection, the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the collections of the University of Liège in Belgium. The Ferens Art Gallery in Kingston upon Hull has his painting of Charles I before Hull, and his scene of The Army under Cromwell marching to Winchester is in Winchester City Museum.

Book illustrations Arnald's work was used to illustrate books, including the following: Scott, W. The Border Antiquities of England and Scotland. Edinburgh: 1814 Dugdale, James. The New British Traveller. London: J Robins & Co, 1819 Wright, Thomas. History and Topography of the County of Essex. London: G. Virtue, 1836