Nathaniel Hone RHA

Nathaniel Hone ‘The Younger’ (1831-1917) was the great-grand-nephew of accomplished artist Nathanial Hone ‘The Elder’. He studied Engineering and Science at Trinity College, Dublin and graduated in 1850. Initially working as an engineer, Hone decided instead to become an artist and made contact with Adolphe Yvon, the Frech battle painter. In 1853, Hone went to Paris, he was one of the earliest Irish painters to study abroad. He moved to the village of Barbizon around 1857 which led to encounters with Jean Francois Millet, Charles Jacque, and Gustave Courbet. He visited Ireland regularly and continued to exhibit at the RHA during his seventeen years in Barbizon.

When Hone returned to Ireland, he married Magdalen Jameson, and they settled in Malahide. In 1880, Hone became a full member of the RHA and in 1894, he was elected Professor of Painting at the RHA, a post he held until his death. After his death, his collection was left to the National Gallery of Ireland, however they accepted only a portion of this and the remainder has become dispersed among public and private collections.