Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hilton, William
HILTON, WILLIAM (1786–1839), historical painter, was born at Lincoln, 8 June 1786. His father, a portrait-painter, wished to bring him up to a trade, but his tendency towards art was strong, and he was ultimately placed with John Raphael Smith [q. v.], the engraver. Peter De Wint [q. v.] was his fellow-pupil. In 1806 he entered the Academy schools. His first known works are well-finished designs in oil for `The Mirror' and `The Citizen of the World.' He commenced to exhibit at the Royal Academy in 1803, and in 1810 was awarded a premium by the British Institution. In the next year he was awarded another for his picture of 'The Entombment of Christ,' and the institution bought his 'Mary anointing the feet of Jesus' (exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1813) and `Christ crowned with Thorns' (1825), now at South Kensington in the collection purchased by the Chantrey bequest. In 1813 he was elected an associate, and in 1818 a full member of the Royal Academy. In this year he visited Rome with Thomas Phillips, R.A., and painted 'The Rape of Europa' for Sir John Leicester. In 1837 he succeeded Henry Thomson as keeper of the Academy, and in 1828 he married the sister of his friend De Wint. Although he received much encouragement from the British Institution, which as late as 1834 awarded him a complimentary premium for his picture of 'Edith discovering the dead body of Harold' (now in the National Gallery), and though he soon rose to full honours of the Academy, he was not successful in selling his pictures, most of the best of which were in his possession at his death. Among these were ‘The Angel releasing St. Peter from Prison,’ ‘Sir Calepine rescuing Serena’ (now in the National Gallery), both exhibited in 1831, ‘Una with the Lion entering Corceca's Cave’ (well known from its engraving published by the Art Union), ‘The Murder of the Innocents,’ his last exhibited picture (1838), and the unfinished ‘Rizpah,’ on which he was engaged at his death. His health is said to have been ruined by grief for the death of his wife in 1835. He died 30 Dec. 1839.
In 1840 a large collection of Hilton's works was exhibited at the British Institution, and in 1841 an association of gentlemen, chiefly artists, purchased the picture of ‘Sir Calepine rescuing Serena’ from the artist's executors, and presented it to the National Gallery; and several pictures and studies by him, including ‘Edith discovering the dead body of Harold,’ were presented by Mr. Vernon in 1847. Unfortunately the lavish use of asphaltum has done serious injury to most of Hilton's best pictures, including the ‘Sir Calepine,’ the ‘Edith,’ and the triptych of ‘The Crucifixion’ at Liverpool.
[Cat. of Nat. Gall.; Redgrave's Dict.; Redgraves' Century of Painters; Bryan's Dict. (Graves); Annals of the Fine Arts, 1818; Seguier's Dict. of Painters; Armstrong's Life of Peter De Wint.]