King, James Joseph Francis Xavier

Person

King, James Joseph Francis Xavier

• King, J F X

1855-1933

James Joseph Francis Xavier King (c1855- 5th February 1933)
Fellow of the Entomological Society

GSA Student 1872-1894:

1875: Local examination, 2nd grade prize
1875: Local Prize, anatomy class, £2
1876: National Competition, 3rd grade prize, Stage 23d, ceiling design
1876: Haldane Prize, Stage 23d, design for hall ceiling, Medal & £3
1877: Local Science Examination, 1st class certificate & Queen's Prize
1879: National Competition, 3rd grade prize, Stage3b, ornament in outline from cast
1881: Local examination, 3rd grade certificate, Group 1
1882: Local Science exam., Queen's Prize, machine construction
1886: National Competition, Queen's Prize, Stage 22d, studies of historic styles of ornament
1886: National Competition, 3rd grade prize, Stage 22d, studies of historic styles of ornament
1886: National Competition, advanced section, commended
1886: Local exam., advanced, Stage 22d, design, Good, certificate
1886: Local exam., advanced, elementary principles of ornament, Fair
1887: National Competition, 3rd grade prize, Stage 12a, monochrome
1887:Art Master's Certificate, Group 2, work in Stage 12a accepted towards
1887: Local exam., advanced, sciography, Good, certificate
1888: National Competition: Gold medal, Stage 23c, 2 designs, Persian carpet
1888: National Competition: Owen Jones Bronze medal & prize
1888: Local exam., advanced, elem. principles of ornament, 1st Class
1888: Local Competition, Haldane Medal (design)
1889: National Competition, 3rd grade prize, Stage 22d, historic ornament
1889: Art Master's Certificate, Group 3, works in Stage 22d accepted towards
1889: Local exam., advanced, painting in monochrome, 2nd class
1890: National Competition: 3rd grade prize, Stage 1e, sciography
1890: Art Master's Certificate, Group 6, work in Stage 1e accepted towards
1890: Local exam., advanced, painting ornament in monochrome, 2nd Class
1890: Local exam., advanced, Stage 10a, plant drawing in outline, 2nd class
1891: Local exam., advanced, painting ornament in monochrome, 2nd Class
1892: Art Master's Certificate, Group 3, work in Stage 9a accepted towards
1892: Local exam., advanced, painting ornament in monochrome, 1st Class
1892: Local exam, 2nd grade certificate, elementary modelling, 1st class

GSA Staff 1877 - 1920/21:

Assistant teacher c.1877 – 1878
Teacher 1878 – 1880
Assistant master (Art) 1880 -
Assistant master (Drawing & Painting) 1896
Assistant master (Architecture) perspective and ornament 1896
Assistant master (Arch.) perspective, historic ornament 1897
Assistant master (Art certificate work) 1899 – 1901
Lecturer on geometry, perspective and plant form 1902 – 1903
Instructor (D&P) geometry, perspective 1904 - 1918/19

Conservator and Librarian 1904 - 1920/21

Staff council 1910/11 - 1920/21

Geometry 1919/20

Member of the Staff Council: 1919- 1921

Annual Report 1920-21 notes his retirement
Annual Report 1932-33 notes his death

Between 1885-94 his address is given as 207, Sauchiehall Street.
In 1877 his occupation is listed as Art Master.

The PO Directory of 1901 records his address as 1 Athole Gardens, Kelvinside. He is described as an Art Master at GSA and a lecturer in Economic Entomolgy at the West of Scotland Agricultural College.

King was an accomplished artist who exhibited between 1885 and 1891, particularly at the Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts. In 1891 he had been amongst those who appended their name to the request that the Corporation of Glasgow should purchase Whistler’s Arrangement in Grey and Black (commonly known as Portrait of Thomas Carlyle). He was also an acknowledged expert in neuroptera, the class of flying insects with net-like wings, and published widely on this subject.

At GSA, King lectured in the ornament classes, before moving to geometry, perspective and plant form. He also acted as Conservator, and was charged with looking after School property, safe-keeping student work, preparing works for exhibition and inspection by the Masters, and engaging life models.

In 1909, with the opening of the School’s first purpose-built library designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, he was employed full-time as Librarian.

A 1907 portrait of him by David Forrester Wilson is in the collection of the Hunterian Art Gallery and an oil sketch by Sir John Lavery in the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.

• GSA Annual reports, Registers and Library records
• Art UK
• PO Directory 1901