William Thornbery

British fl. 1858-1898

It is generally thought that William Thornbery is the same artist as William Thornley. He was a painter of coastal scenes whose work is very similar to Hubert and Charles Thornley whom may have been members of the same family and popularly believed to be the same artist. An artist for a number of reasons often used pseudonyms; unfortunately Thornley/Thornbery left us very few clues as to his reasons.

His works are beautifully detailed and show a masterful understanding of the moods of both weather and sea. They are often small in size and put together with fine detail and great artistic merit. His fishing scenes are spirited and similar in style to those of “Jock” Wilson, and are often painted in pairs. These works have always been popular when they appear on the art market.

He was believed to have first exhibited marines at the Royal Academy in 1859 from an address in Paddington, London and also at the British Institution from 1861 until it closed in 1867. He continued to exhibit at the Royal Academy until 1898.