Maria Spilsbury (1776–1820)

• Was a British artist known for her religious paintings and portraiture.
• Spilsbury was born in London.

• She had a twin brother but he died at their birth.

• Her parents were Rebecca and Jonathan Spilsbury.

• Spilsbury was herself a devout evangelical Christian.

• In addition to learning art from her father Spilsbury was tutored in colored painting by Sir William Beecher.

• Spilsbury first exhibited at the Royal Academy at the age of fifteen and continued to do so throughout her life.

• Her paintings were also shown at the British Institution, the British School, the Royal Academy, the Hibernian Society of Artists, and the Dublin Society.

• Her patrons included the Prince Regent, George IV, who frequented her studio.

• In 1808 Spilsbury married John Taylor, a Protestant minister with a parish in Hampshire.

• She moved to Ireland with her husband in 1813, residing in Dublin.

• Her sixth pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage and Spilsbury fell ill.

• She died in Dublin on 1 June 1820.

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