CHAPTER XIII.

TURNER'S WORK FOR THE ENGRAVERS.

THERE were so few good engravers in England in 1703, that to procure plates for his folio Cæsar, Tonson had to go to Holland in search of artists.*

In George II.'s reign, Vandergucht and Faber, the one a Fleming, the other a Dutchman, engraved a few plates; but in 1725, the thirteen octavo volumes of Rapin's "History of England," translated by Tindal and illustrated with George Virtue's portraits, drew much attention to home-born talent. In 1732, a folio edition was published in weekly numbers, and sold by thousands.

To this followed Picart's "Religious Ceremonies of all Nations," illustrated by Gavelot and Scotin; whom Hogarth also employed, together with Ravenel, Grignon, and Walker. In 1719, Dorigny completed his plates from Raphael's Cartoons; and in 1751, Messrs. Knapton published a series of historical prints

* Our earlier engravers were — Faithorne, who died 1691; Whister, who died 1704; Smith (mezzotint), who died 1720; Boydell, born 1719, died 1804; Strange, born 1721, died 1792; Basile, born 1730, died 1802; Ryland, born 1732, died 1783; Woollett, born 1755, died 1785; Sharp, born 1740, died 1824; Rooker, born 1748, died 1801.

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ILLUSTRATED WORKS.

after the English artists Hayman and Blakely; in the same reign Dubosc brought out "The Battle of Blenheim;" and Pine his copies of "The Tapestry in the House of Lords." In fact, between 1740 and 1750 engraving began to develope English talent; mezzotint portraits became common, and the printsellers commenced to exhibit likenesses of distinguished characters.

Illustrated editions of English works now increased in number, and the magazines rivalled each other in their engravings and increased the taste for art. Hayman, who decorated Vauxhall, drew much for the booksellers at two guineas a drawing; the inferior artists received only one; though Lownes, the publisher, gave Wale for each of his designs to "Clarissa Harlowe" half-a-crown extra. Hayman illustrated Moore's "Fables," 1744; Hanmer's "Shakspeare," 1744; and Milton's Works, 1749.

Gravelot also drew antiquities, designed for upholsterers, and illustrated books between 1735 and 1745. His best work is the "Decamerone," 1757—a work published, however, after his return to France.

In 1741, Boydell, a young English engraver, began to publish a series of views in and about London, the size folio, the price one shilling; they were placed for sale in toy-shop windows. Encouraged by success, he extended his tours all through England and Wales between 1741 and 1755.

From 1780, Rooker, Ryland, Strange, and Woollett began to get patronage. In 1751, Strange commenced his series of copies from the old masters: in 1752, the year that Reynolds returned from abroad,

and Zuccarelli came to live in England, Knapton and Dodsley published some historical prints.

Then Dalton employed in his work on Greece and Egypt the talent of Messrs. Basile, Mason, Chatelain, and Vivares. In 1753, Cipriani came to England; and in 1755, the year Wilson returned from Italy, Stuart returned from Greece, and commenced a folio work on Athens, illustrated with engravings by Basile, Rooker, Strange, Walker, Grignon, &c.

In 1754, through the exertions of Mr. W. Shipley, a Northamptonshire gentleman, a Society for the Encouragement of Art was founded in London, in imitation of one founded by Dr. Madden in Dublin in 1740. About 1775, Mr. Wedgwood, the Staffordshire potter, began to introduce high art into ceramic manufacture.

Among the early engravers we may reckon Mr. F. Legat, a Scotchman, and pupil of Runciman; he engraved for Boydell Northcote's "Children in the Tower," Stothard's "Fall of Abercromby," West's "King, Queen, and Laertes," Cassandra," after Romney, and the "Death of Cordelia" after Barry; he died of disappointment in 1809. Mr. Hall, a pupil of Ravenet, who engraved West's picture of Penn's

Treaty with the Indians," and West's picture of "Cromwell dissolving the Parliament," &c., and became historical engraver to George III. Robert Strange, chiefly an engraver of the old masters, born 1721, died 1772. Vivares, a Frenchman, at first a tailor, a beautiful etcher of trees, often assisted by Chatelain, who lived in Great Newport-street; he was born 1709 and died 1780. And last, yet first

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WEST AND WOOLLETT.

of all, Woollett, who engraved Wilson's "Niobe;" he was born at Maidstone 1735, and died 1785. He also engraved the "Phaeton," "Celadon and Amelia," "Ceyx and Alcyone." Gavelot, who kept a drawingschool in the Strand, also drew for Grignon. Mac Ardell engraved much for Reynolds, and also fine mezzotints of Hogarth's "Captain Coram." Luke Sullivan, who etched the "March to Finchley," was also a miniature-painter; he died in poverty. Nor must we forget the unfortunate Sherwin, who engraved portraits of Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Siddons, and others.

For the "Death of General Wolfe," 1776, Woollett received some 6000l. or 7000l., participating in the profits of the publisher; nor was the "Battle of La Hogue," published in 1781, less popular. They were both copied in Paris and Vienna. The mezzotintos of Earlom helped to swell the 200,0007. received by the English in one year for engravings from foreign customers.

The

Now the topographical works became more numerous, and began to improve in merit. Artists were few, especially landscape artists, and of those artists also there were few cared to go and see nature. brown tree, the upas-tree of art, grew in every studio. Spring and autumn had never yet been painted; green grass was despised as mere salad; the real high-art grass was the colour of an old violin.

In 1780 illustrated works took a great stride forward in the shape of Harrison's "Novelist's Magazine." For the former, Stothard's first drawing was one for "Joseph Andrews," for which he got

ENGRAVERS' PRICES.

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half-a-guinea; for later drawings he received a guinea. For engraving one of these, Heath received five guineas. From about 1780, Heath stood high among English line-engravers, and after the French Revolution, arose Raimbach and Warren. It is not known exactly when steel engraving superseded copper, but Mr. Pye tells us that in 1811 Mr. Raimbach engraved a steel plate for the Bank of England, and that steel engraving was then a proved thing.

The following record of engravers' prices is valuable:- For Deroveray's plates after Westall and others, sixteen and twenty guineas each; Mr. Warren twenty, and Mr. Heath eighteen; for "Sharpe's Classics," 1803, fifteen guineas each, but eighteen to Bromley, Raimbach, and Warren; two plates by Mr. P. Sharpe, in the "Spectator," twenty guineas each; the "Rival Beauties," by Parker, twenty-five guineas; Mr. Warren received for "The Heiress," and "Dr. Sangrado," in "Inchbald's Theatre," after Smirke, thirty guineas each; for the plates in "The Arabian Nights," after Smirke, thirty-eight guineas each; for the "Broken Jar," after Wilkie, fifty guineas. Raimbach received for his four beautiful plates for "Suttaby's Spectator," after Stothard, one hundred guineas; for the plates for the "World," twenty-five guineas; for Smirke's "Don Quixote," fifty guineas; Cook, for the illustrations to his edition of the Poets, gave but six or seven guineas each.

In 1786, Boydell, growing wealthy, determined to encourage historical painting by publishing by subscription a series of prints illustrative of Shakspearian

scenes.

The pictures painted for the work were ex