Engraving: Its Origin, Processes, and HistoryDelaborde, Henri, comte
History
Engraving: Its Origin, Processes, and History
Delaborde, Henri, comte
Engravers -- Great Britain; Engraving -- Great Britain; Engraving -- History
Francesco Bartolozzi, the life-long friend of Cipriani (born in 1725 at
Florence), was educated in engraving at Venice by Joseph Wagner, and
like Cipriani, who had preceded him, came over to England in 1764. His
reputation was already established there; he was appointed engraver to
the king with a salary of £300 a year, became one of the first forty
full members of the Royal Academy (1768), and was the only engraver
admitted to the honour down to the year 1855. Bartolozzi remained in
England for thirty-eight years, continuously producing his innumerable
and well-known plates; at length, in 1802, seduced by the offer of a
house, pension, and a knighthood, he went, at the age of seventy-seven,
to Lisbon, where he died in 1815, having reached his ninety-first year,
and working at his profession to the last. John Ogborn, Cheesman,
Thomas Ryder, Chapman, Agar, T. Burke, and the delightful P. W.
Tomkins--who, with the late C. H. Jeens, may be called the miniaturist
of engravers--were all followers more or less of his school. An
admirable draughtsman and perfect master of the graver, Bartolozzi was
in addition able to infuse a certain grace and beauty into the trivial
work by which he is best known; but he has done work of a higher stamp,
and some of his line engravings, such as "Clytie," the "Death of Dido,"
the portraits of Lord Thurlow and Martin van Juchen in full armour
(worthy of the graver of Pontius or De Jode), make all who care for the
art regret that so talented an artist gave the greater part of his time
and attention to producing prints which, though graceful and pleasing,
charm but for the moment and leave no permanent impression.
This, the Augustan era of English engraving, saw also the rise of the
talented and genial Thomas Bewick (born 1753, died 1828), who made
the domain of natural history his own, and in addition to executing
some interesting copper plates, has by his exquisite wood-cuts after
his own drawings entitled England to claim her place amongst the
greatest artists in that form of engraving. The Boydells, too, had
established their celebrated firm; both were engravers, John in line,
and Josiah, his nephew (a pupil of Earlom), in mezzotint. John Boydell
was born in 1719, and established himself first (in 1752) at the sign
of the "Unicorn," corner of Queen Street, Cheapside, afterwards at 90
Cheapside, and finally took additional premises in Pall Mall for the
Shakespeare Gallery. Josiah was born in 1752, succeeded on his uncle's
death (1804) to the business, and died in 1817. A great proportion of
the best prints of this period will be found to bear the addresses of
these famous publishers and engravers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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