Explore: Robert Griffier

(1688 - c.1760)

Robert Griffier was the son of Dutch landscape painter and engraver Jan Griffier senior (c.1645-1718), who moved to England in about 1672. Robert and his brother, Jan (c.1686-c.1750), both painted in the style of their father and enjoyed particular popularity during the 1730s and ‘40s. In 1753, some 35 years after his father’s death, Robert was sued by his mother, Mary, who claimed to have lent him £100 in 1731 to establish himself as a victualler (innkeeper). His most important work is now considered to be ‘Regatta on the Thames’ (1748; collection of the Duke of Buccleuch), which demonstrates the influence of Canaletto on his work.