Remembering the art of William Kent
Jonathan Richardson the elder (1667–1745) National Portrait Gallery, London Horace Walpole, who based his account of Kent on George Vertue's unflattering biography, regarded his work as a painter as 'below mediocrity'. This has been the nearly unanimous verdict of posterity. Yet, it should not be forgotten that Kent had trained as a painter in Rome. According to Vertue, who is probably a reasonably reliable source for this, after an initial apprenticeship as 'a coach painter & house painter' he migrated to London and travelled out to Italy in July 1709 in company with John Talman...
Source: artuk.org