POYNTER, poineter, SIR Edward John, English painter: b. Paris, 20 March 1836; d. London, 26 July 1919. He received his early education in Westminster School and in Ipswich, and was the pupil of Gleyre in Paris from 1856 to 1859. In 1860 he re turned to London and was elected Royal Academician in 1876. From 1894 to 1905 he was director of the National Gallery. On the death of Sir John Millais in 1896 he was elected president of the Royal Academy and the same year was knighted. He was created a baro net in 1902. His paintings in oil and water colors are distinguished by originality of conception, faultless drawing and strong color qualities, and the most remarkable of them are Israel in Egypt) (1867) ; 'The Catapult,' an incident in the siege of Carthage (1868) ; 'Faithful unto Death' • (Proserpin) ; 'Perseus and Andromeda' 'The Fortune Teller) (1877? ; 'Rhodope' ; 'The Golden ; 'Zen obia in Captivity' (1878) ; 'The Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba' (1891); 'Horne Serene' ; Fears' (1894) ; 'The Ionian Dance' (1899) •, 'The Cave of the Storm (1903) •, 'The Nymphs' Bathing Place' (1904) ; 'The Cup of Tantalus) (1905) ; 'Lesbia and Her Sparrow' (1907) ; 'Brewing a (1909) ; 'A Naval Disaster)(1912) ; 'At Low Tide' (1913) ; 'The Sea Bath) (1914) ; and portraits of King Edward VII and of numerous persons of prominence as well as many water colors, figures and landscapes.
Also two sets of designs for the new coinage of 1894 and cartoons for mosaics of Saint George and Saint David in Westminster Palace. During the years 1872-73 he was engaged in frescoing the walls of Saint Stephen's Church, Dulwich. He also furnished de signs for the decoration of the interior of the dome of Saint Paul's Cathedral with subjects from the Apocalypse, as well as for the mosaics in Westminster Palace. He also published 'Ten Lectures on Art' (1879) ; 'Classic and Italian (with P. R. Head, 1880) ; 'German, Flemish and Dutch Painting' (with H. J. Wilmot Buxton, 1881). He acted as editor of 'The National (1899), containing reproductions of all pictures in the National Gallery acquired up to the end of 1899. Du Maurier in 'Trilby) draws a de lightful sketch of Poynter in their old student Paris days and of his passionate study and admiration for all the great masters.