Marcellus Laroon the elder (1653–1702)

LAROON& or LAURON, MARCELLUS, the elder (1653–1702), painter and engraver, born at the Hague in 1653, was son of Marcellus Lauron, a painter of French extraction, who settled in Holland, where he worked for many years as a painter, though of small merit, and brought up his sons to the same profession. The son Marcellus migrated in early life to England, where he was usually styled Laroon, and lived for many years in Yorkshire. He informed Vertue that he saw Rembrandt at Hull in 1661. Laroon became well known for small portraits and conversation-pieces; in the latter he showed great proficiency. He also painted numerous small pictures of humorous or free subjects in the style of Egbert van Heemskerk, some of which were engraved in mezzotint by Beckett and John Smith. He also etched and engraved in mezzotint similar plates himself. Laroon is best known by the drawings he made of 'The Cryes of London,' which were engraved and published by Pierce Tempest. He also drew the illustrations to a book on fencing, and the procession at the coronation of William III and Mary in 1689. He was frequently employed to paint draperies for Sir Godfrey Kneller, and was well known as a clever copyist. He was a man of easy-going and convivial temperament, fond of music and good company, and lived, on coming to London, in Bow Street, Covent Garden. He died of consumption at Richmond in Surrey on 11 March 1702, and was buried there. He married the daughter of Jeremiah Keene, builder, of Little Sutton, near Chiswick, by whom he had a large family, including three sons, who were brought up to his own profession. He painted portraits of Queen Mary (engraved in mezzotint by R. Williams), C. G. Cibber the sculptor, and others; his own portrait by himself showed the scars resulting from injuries received in a street quarrel. Some drawings by him are in the print room in the British Museum. He had a collection of pictures, which was sold by auction by his son on 24 Feb. 1725.

[Walpole's Anecd. of Painting, ed. Wornum; Vertue's MSS. (Brit. Mus. Add. MSS. 23068–23076); J. T. Smith's Nollekens and his Times, vol. ii.; Seguier's Dict. of Painters; Chaloner Smith's British Mezzotinto Portraits; Nagler's Monogrammisten, iv. No. 1976.]

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