Page:Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers, volume 1.djvu/303

 traits, and then sent him to Munich and other continental cities to copy the works of the great masters. On his return to England he sent, in 1851, a picture, ' A Bit of Berkshire,' to the exhi- bition of the Royal Academy. This was followed by ' Mountains of the Tyrol' in 1856. Soon after- wards he went to Rome, where he married in 1858 the daughter of Mr. W. J. Fox, at that time member for Oldham, a lady of much artistic talent. In the following year he exhibited his finest work, ' The Coliseum by Moonlight,' which was after- wards included in the International Exhibition of 1862. His other important paintings were ' The Temple of Love,' from Spenser's ' Faerie Queene,' and ' Sunset on the Atlantic' He worked with too much energy, and died of consumption in 1863. After his death forty of his best paintings were sold at Christie's, some of them realising £1000 each.

BRIDGFORD, Thomas, an Irish portrait and subject painter, was born at Dublin in 1812. He studied and for a short time painted portraits in London, and for many years exhibited portraits and figure subjects at the Royal Academy (W. Mulready, R.A., and A. Cooper, R.A., in 1842). In 1844 he returned and settled at Duljlin, where he became a member of the Hibernian Academy. He died on the 2lBt November, 1878. Amongst his works are :

The Arrest of Sir H. Slingsby. An Irish "Wake. The Deserter. Golden Moments. Passing Shadows.

BRIERLY, Sir Oswald Walter, marine painter, son of a doctor was bom at Chester on the 19th of May, 1817. He left the Academy of Henry Sass in Bloomsbury to study shipping at Plymouth, exhibit- ing first at the Royal Academy in 1839. Two years later he started round the world, settling for some years at Auckland. In 1851 he returned to England and accompanied the Allied fleets to the Baltic, and the Prince of Wales on his Nile tour. He also sailed with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1867-8, on the Galatea's trip round the world. ' Blake going on the Resolution ' is his greatest work. He ceased exhibiting at the Academy in 1872, when elected member of the Royal Water-Colour Society. Appointed Marine Painter to Queen Victoria in 1874, he became Curator of the Painted Hall at Greenwich in 1881, was knighted in 1885, and died in London, 14th December, 1894.

BRIGGS, Henry Perronet, was born at Wal- worth in 1792, or 1791. He was related to tlje wife of John Opie, and, possibly through his influence, entered the Academy Schools at an early age. In 1814 he exhibited his first portrait at the Academy. Four years later he attempted an historical picture, ' Lord Wake setting fire to his Castle to prevent a visit from Henry VIII.,' and soon afterwards 'Othello relating his Adventures.' In 1826 he ex- hibited 'TheFirst Conference between the Spaniards and Peruvians, 1531,' and in 1827, ' Juliet and her Nurse,' both of which are now in the National Gallery. He was elected an Associate of the Academy in 1825, and was made an Academician in 1832. Henceforth his talent was so much in demand for portraiture that, against his own wishes, he abandoned historical painting in favour of that more lucrative art. One of his finest works is ' Lord Eldon receiving the Degree of D C.L. at Oxford.' He died in London in 1844. His picture of ' George III. presenting the sword to Earl Howe, on board the "Queen Charlotte," 1794,' painted in 1827, is now in Greenwich Hospital.

BRIGHT, Henry, was born at Saxmundham, Suffolk, in 1814. He was at first apprenticed to a chemist at Woodbridge, and afterwards hecan:e dispenser in the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. Here, having fallen in with John Bernay Crorac, Cotman, and others of the Nom-ich Scliool, he threw up his appointment, and entering on art as a profession, went to London, where he was soo: after elected a member of the New Soricty (now called the Institute) of Water-Colour Painters, and became acquainted with some of the then leading artists — Stanfield, David Cox, Prout — and other celebrated men. He painted in oil as well as water-colours, exhibiting in the former mediimi for the first time at the Royal Academy in 1845. His pictures display great breadth and richness of colour, especially those depicting the banks of rivers. His snow scenes, of which he executed several, are very carefully painted. He died at Ipswich in 1873.

BRIGSTOCKE, Thomas, first studied in Sass's studio, then in the Royal Academy Schools, and under H. P. Briggs, and subsequently under J. P. Knight. He also studied at Paris, Florence, Rome, and Naples, during eight years. He exhibited his first picture, ' Alnaschar, the Barber's fifth Brother,' at the Royal Academy in 1842. Five years later he went to Egypt with a letter of introduction to Mohammed Ali Pasha, by whom he was kindly received, and well employed in painting portraits of himself and his family. There Brigstocke spent sixteen months painting chiefly at the Palace of Shoubra, on the Nile, near Cairo, and at Ras el Tin, Alexandria. His chief portraits are :

General Sir 'Wm. Nott, in the Town Hall of Calcutta. „ „ „ „ in the Town Ball of Carmarthen. „ „ „ „ in the Oriental Club, London. Mohammed Ali, in the Palace of the Citadel, Cairo. „ „ in the Palace of Ras el Tin. „ „ in the Oriental Club, London. Cardinal 'WisemaD, in St. Cuthbert'a, near Durham. General Sir J. Outram, in the Oriental Club, London. Sir Hy. Holland, M.D.

He also painted an historical picture, entitled the 'Prayer for Victory.' All the above pictures were exhibited at the Royal Academy. Brigstocke died tn 1881, aged seventy-two.

BRIL, Matthys, was born at Antwerp about 1548. It is not known under whom he studied, but he went to Italy during the pontificate of Gregory XIII., by whom he was employed in the Vatican, where he painted in fresco several land- scapes, and had a pension settled on him by that pontiff. He would probably have reached a high rank in the list of landscape painters, but he died in the prime of life at Rome in 1584. The Louvre has two 'Stag Hunts' by him, and the Dresden Gallery has also two landscapes with subjeots.

BRIL, Paulus, the younger brother of Matthys Bril, was bom at Antwerp in 1556. He was first instructed in the art by Damiaen Ortelmans, and was himself employed in painting the tops of harpsichords, which were usually so ornamented at that period. The fame which his brother had acquired in Italy inspired him with the emulation of equalling him in reputation ; and he thought the most probable means of success was to imitate his example, and to follow him to Italy. Passing through France, he was under the necessity