(fl. 1773 - 97), painter; pupil of Francis West, Dublin Soc. school 1770 - 4; exh. SA Dublin 1773 - 4; RA schools 1775; exh. RA 1776.
1781 - 97 [London] Rome (by 1781 - 97) with visits to Parma in Jul. and Oct. 1787
Thomas Pye was a painter of modest ability, whose work in Italy was principally confined to making copies. He spent sixteen years based in Rome, living near the Piazza di Spagna in 1781, 1784 and 1785.1 In 1790, 1792 and 1793 he was listed as a history painter living at the Casa Rosa in the Strada Gregoriana (Rome Lists); from 1793 - 95 he was living in the Strada Felice and in 1797 near the Strada Paolina.2
Pye was noticed at Rome by Pacetti on 28 April 1782.3 On 26 September 1786 Jacob More told Lord Bristol that Pye had completed a 'Copey of Borgia' for him and in the following year More listed 'Mr Pys. Copy of Machiavel & Cesar Borgia' in a shipment for Lord Bristol.4 They were not, apparently well received, for on 16 December More told Lord Bristol that he had not considered Pye's copies 'in the ton of Titian's colouring and insisted on them being [retouched] which was agreed but afterwards he [Pye] refu'd to send on them to me to be examined and sent them off himself. I must make some apology for Mr Pye'.5
Undeterred, by 4 July 1787 Pye was about to leave for Parma to copy Correggio's Madonna with St Jerome for Lord Bristol.6 Pacetti mentioned him in Rome on 26 August and 30 September 1787.7 He was certainly in Parma on 28 October 1787 when James Irvine found him copying Correggio.8 Pye was in Rome in 1790, and in 1792 Robert Parker noted that he was 'an excellent copyist' (Rome List 1790). On the death of Jacob More in October 1793 Pye became, somewhat surprisingly, Lord Bristol's Rome agent,9 and in March 1794 Lord Bristol told Canova that Pye would pay him for any figures he was undertaking.(10) In April 1794 Pye signed the letter of thanks to Prince Augustus from English artists in Rome (Rome List 1794).
1. AVR sa, S.Lorenzo in Lucina. 2. AVR sa, S.Lorenzo in Lucina, S.Andrea delle Fratte. 3. Pacetti giornale. 4. More letters MSS, ff.6, 65. 5. Ibid., ff.33 - 4. 6. Ibid., f.68. 7. Pacetti
giornale (26 Aug., 30 Sep. 1787). 8. Add.36495, f.246v. 9. Add.36497, f.291 (Skirving, 5 Mar. 1794). 10. Canoviani MSS, ii/184/2433 (Turin, 29 Mar. 1794).
N. F.