Page:Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers, volume 1.djvu/207

 tory, who was born at Carpentras in 1745, and died at Lyons in 1813. He obtained a medal at the Salon of 1812, and was named member of the Institute in the room of Prud'hon, 1823. He executed a great number of views of Italy, and exhibited during the years from 1791 to 184-1. Three landscapes by him are in the Louvre. One is a view of Subiaco, another represents Avezano —both painted in 1789 ; the third bears date 1793. He died at Montmorency in 1846.

BIDERMANN, Johann Jacob, bom at Winter- thur, Switzerland, in 1762, was instructed by A. Graff, at Dresden. He travelled considerably, and eventually settled at Constance in 1804, and painted both in water-colour and oil, mostly small land- scapes, with figures and cattle, and often views in Switzerland, as well as portraits and conversation- pieces. He etched eleven plates of Eglisau on the Rhine, in a most beautiful manner. He died at Constance in 1828.

BIE, De. See De Bie.

BIELBY, V., topographical draughtsman, flour- ished towards the end of the 18th century, and painted some of the views engraved in Angus' ' Seats of the Nobility and Gentry,' published 1787. Some views of Chelsea and Battersea by him were engraved in aquatint by Jukes.

BIEKSTADT, Albert, a landscape painter, was born at Solingen near Dusseldorf in 1830, of American parents, and taken back by them to America wlien twelve months old. In 1843 he came over to Dusseldorf to study art, and remained in Germany for three years. After that time he returned again to the States, and accompanied the expedition sent to esidore the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, and during this expedition he made a great many sketches and completed some fine pictures of the scenery. He became a member of the National Academy, had one of his chief works placed in the Capitol at Washington, and was also granted the Legion of Honour for the pictures which he exhibited in the S:don. He confined his attention almost entirely to landscape work, and usually only represented scenes in the United States. He died attho age of seventy-two, in 1902.

BIEVRE, — DE, an engraver who flourished about 1766, produced a few portraits, among which is that of Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark.

BIEZELINGEN, Christiaan Jaxs van, a Dutch portrait painter, was born at Delft in 1558. This artist painted from memory a portrait of William I., Prince of Orange, after his assassination by Gerards, as well as a portrait of the latter while in prison. He spent several years at the Spanish Court, where he was well employed. He died at Middelburg in 1600.

BIFFI, Carlo, a Milanese historical painter and etcher, born in 1605, was a pupil of C. Procaccini. He died in 1675.

BIFFIN, Sarah, was bom at East Quantoxhead, near Bridgewater, Somerset, in 1784, without hands or feet. She was first instructed by an artist of the name of Duke, with whom she resided the greater part of her life. After some time the Earl of Morton made her acquaintance, and was so much interested in her, that he had her instructed by W. M. Craig, one of the best miniature painters of the day, under whose instruction she improved so rapidly that in the year 1821 she received a medal from the Society of Arts. She was patronized by George III., George IV., William IV., Queen Victoria, and several other distinguished personages. In her old age she was rather reduced in circum- stances, but a small annuity was purchased for her, on which she was able to live comfortably till her death, which took place at Liverpool in 1860.

BIGARI, ViTTORio, was born in 1692, at Bologna, and his works are to be met with in almost every public edifice in that city. In the church of the Madonna del Soccorso is an admired picture by him of the ' Virgin Mary and Infant Jesus, with St- Petronio and other Saints.' In the Palazzo Aldro- vandi he painted a gallery, in which he represented the principal transactions of that noble family. His works are mentioned in favourable terms by Zanotti in the ' Pitture di Bologna.' He died in 1776. His sons, Giacomo and Angelo, were also painters.

BIGG, William Redmore, who was born in 1755, was admitted a student of the Royal Academy in 1778, became an associate in 1787, and an Acade- mician in 1814. His pictures were generally of simple subjects, appealing to the domestic sym- pathies ; they were painted with con.sidcrable power. His 'Shipwrecked Sailor Boy,' 'Boys relieving a Blind Man,' ' Black Monday,' and others of like character, have been engraved. He died in London in 1828.

BIGI, Fraxcesco (di Cristofano), commonly known as Franciabigio or Francia Bigio, was born at Florence in 1482. He studied first at the Brancacci Chapel, but in 1505 he became acquainted with Andrea del Sarto, and studied for some time with Albertinelli. He seems to have devoted much of his time to portrait painting, many ex- amples of which can be seen in England, and on the continent. Frescoes by him, although now much injured by damp and the effects of time, are at San Giovanni Battista della Calza, and at Santa Maria de' Candeli, at Florence. In the court of the convent of the Servi there is a ' Marriage of the Virgin and St. Joseph,' of which the following story is told : The fresco was all but finished, and the screens were still around it, when a solemn feast day of the Order arrived, and some of tli^ monks undertook to uncover it on their own responsibility. This so enraged Bigi, that he seized a mason's hammer and struck out the heads of the Virgin and of some of the other figures ; nor could threats or entreaties prevail on either Bigi or any of his fellow-artists to replace them ; and thus mutilated it still remains. Bigi died at Florence in 1525.

The following list contains a few of his most celebrated works:

Berlin. Museum. Portrait of a man (formo-h/ nscribed to Sebastiano del Piotnbo). „ „ Portrait of a young man {with mono- gram, and inscribed " 1522 « di 24 dottobe"). „ „ Portrait of a young man. Dresden. Gallery. Bathsheba bathing (with monogram, and dated siDXiii). Florence. Pitti Pal. Portrait of a youth {with monogram, and dated MDXini_). „ „ Calumny of Apelles. „ Vffizi. Madonna del Pozzo. „ „ Temple of Hercules. Also important frescoes in the Chicstro Scalzo, SS. Annunziata and La Calza. London. Nat. Gal, Portrait of a young man (signed wiih the acconfpanying monogram, and inscribed tab: vblia: CHI: bie.v: eima).