Armorial Still Life

Oil on canvas
61 x 49.7 cms
24 x 19 1/2 inches

This London-based (Denmark Street, Soho) flower painter trained as a coach painter and became so proficient in painting the wreaths of flowers surrounding the coats of arms that he graduated to producing paintings of flowers in their own right.

In his brief career, he exhibited a total of eleven paintings in all. He exhibited at the Society of Artists beween 1762-1768 and became a foundation Royal Academician and exhibited there from 1769-1771.

John Baker died on 30 April 1771 and he was the first foundation Royal Academician to die before he had painted a Diploma Picture. The picture in the Royal Academy Diploma Collection by John Baker was given to the Royal Academy by his fellow ex-coach painter Charles Catton.