Francis Eginton Paintings

Francis Eginton was an English artist known for his work in painting and stained glass, born in 1737 near Birmingham, in the hamlet of Moseley. He started his career as an apprentice to a Birmingham buckle maker but soon demonstrated his talent for art. Eginton is often celebrated for his ability to paint and reproduce the works of other artists, a skill that he honed while working with his mentor, the famous industrialist and inventor Matthew Boulton, at the Soho Manufactory in Birmingham.

Eginton's work at the Soho Manufactory involved a variety of tasks, including die-sinking, enamelling, and glass painting. His collaboration with Boulton and his exposure to the various innovative processes at the Soho Manufactory played a significant role in Eginton's artistic development. The most notable aspect of his work was the development of a stained glass painting technique that allowed for the mass production of high-quality stained glass windows, which imitated the style and beauty of traditional stained glass. This process involved painting on glass with enamel colors and then firing the glass to fuse the paint.

Throughout his career, Eginton’s painted glass was in high demand, and he produced numerous works for churches, as well as for private clients. His reproductions of famous paintings in stained glass were particularly admired and were seen as an affordable alternative to commissioning original works of art. Eginton's ability to replicate the color and detail of oil paintings in glass was so admired that he received commissions from all over Britain and even from abroad.

Despite his success, Francis Eginton struggled with financial difficulties throughout his life, a common issue for many artists of the era. He passed away in 1805, leaving behind a legacy of innovation in the field of glass painting. Today, his works can be found in various collections, and they continue to be studied for their technical brilliance and contribution to the art of glass painting during the Industrial Revolution.