For twenty years Lawrence reigned alone. After the final defeat of
Napoleon, the artist was commissioned by the Regent to attend the
congress of sovereigns at Aix-la-Chapelle, and produce portraits of the
principal persons engaged in the great war. These European
portraits--twenty-four in number--now decorate the Waterloo Hall at
Windsor. In 1815 he was knighted by the Regent; in addition he was
admitted to the Academy of St. Luke in Rome, and became in 1817 a member
of the American Academy of the Fine Arts, an honour he repaid by
painting and presenting to the Academy a portrait of their countryman
Benjamin West. The Academies of Venice, Florence, Turin, and Vienna
subsequently added his name to their roll of members, while, through the
personal interposition of King Christian Frederick, he was presented
with the diploma of the Academy of Denmark. He was nominated a Chevalier
of the Legion of Honour in France, George IV. giving him permission to
wear the cross of the order. Charles X. further presented the painter
with a grand French clock nearly two feet high, and a dessert service of
Sèvres porcelain, which Sir Thomas bequeathed to the Royal Academy. From
the Emperor of Russia he received a superb diamond ring of great value;
from the King of Prussia a ring with his Majesty's initials, F.R., in
diamonds. He also received splendid gifts from the foreign ministers
assembled at Aix-la-Chapelle, and from the Archduchess Charles and
Princess Metternich at Vienna; from the Pope a ring and a colosseum in
mosaic with his Holiness's arms over the centre of the frame; from the
Cardinal Gonsalvi, besides other presents, a gold watch, chain, and
seals of intaglios, and many beautiful bon-bon boxes of valuable stones
set in gold; gold snuff-boxes, etc.; a breakfast set of porcelain from
the Dauphin in 1825, with magnificent casts and valuable engravings from
Canova at Rome. Was ever painter so fêted and glorified! And then he had
been, on the death of West, in 1820, elected to the presidentship of the
Academy. 'Well, well,' said Fuseli, who growled at everything and
everybody, but was yet a friend to Lawrence, 'since they _must_ have a
face-painter to reign over them, let them take Lawrence; he can at least
paint eyes!' In 1829, he exhibited eight portraits; but his health was
beginning to decline. He died on the 7th June 1830. He had been painting
on the previous day another portrait of George IV. in his
coronation-dress.
'Are you not tired of those eternal robes? asked some one.
'No,' answered the painter; 'I always find variety in them--the pictures
are alike in outline, never in detail. You would find the last the
best.'
In the night he was taken alarmingly ill. He was bled, and then seemed
better; but the bandage slipped--he fell from his chair into the arms
of his valet, Jean Duts, a Swiss.
'This is fainting,' said the valet, in alarm.
'No, Jean, my good fellow,' Sir Thomas Lawrence politely corrected him,
'it is dying.' And he breathed his last.