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was of a conceited, vain disposition, and an annoyance to his master, whose somewhat exuberant style he exaggerated to an extravagance approaching absurdity. In 1779 he exhibited with the Free Society of Artists a very pretentious design for Lord Chatham's monument His monu- ment to Rear-Admiral Tyrrell in West- minster Abbey has been called ' the pan- cake monument' There are several other monuments by him in the south aisle of the Abbey. His mind, unfortunately, be- came impaired in the prime of life, and a short time before his death he was totally deprived of reason. He died at his house in St Martin's Lane, July 11, 1787.

READ, Richard, engraver. Was born about 1745. He was a pupil of Caldwall, gained a Society of Arts' premium in 1771, and practised his art in London during the latter part of the century. He worked chiefly in mezzotint, but sometimes in the dot manner. He engraved 'The Dutch Lady,' after Rembrandt; 'Moses in the Bulrushes,' after Le Soeur ; ' The Queen of Scots,' after Hamilton, R.A., and other works. He died towards the close of the century.

READER. William, portrait painter. Was born at Maidstone, the son of a clergy- man, and practised his art in the 17th cen- tury. Was for a long time in the service of a nobleman. His portrait of Dr. Blow, the musical composer, is engraved in mezzo- tint. He died poor in the Charter House.

READING, Burnet, engraver. He was born at Colchester, and practised in London between 1770-90, working in the dot manner. Some of his works, as was then the fashion, are printed in red. There is by him, 4 Charlotte at the Tomb of Werther,' and after Bigg, R.A., *La- vinia and her Mother.' There is also a portrait of him drawn and etched by him- self. He was riding and drawing-master to the Earl of Pomfret at Windsor.

READING, Sarah, engraver. Prac- tised at the same time, and in the same manner as the above. A small oval by her. ' Olivia and Sophia,' is known.

READY, William James Dubant, marine painter. Was bora in London, May 11, 1823. The son of a clerk in the Customs, he was a self-taught artist. Early in life he took some of his produc- tions to a dealer, who bought them all, and advised him to study the rules of art, and to work directly from nature. Upon the last part of the advice alone he acted. He went to America for four or five years, and on his return again sold his drawings to the same dealer (who subsequently bought nearly all his productions), and with whom he frequently stayed by the sea-side, making also many excursions along the coast D. Roberts, R.A., thought highly | 350

of his ability, and induced him on one occasion to send two pictures to the Royal Academy. In consequence of their being exhibited, the Inland Revenue sent him an income-tax paper to fill up, which alarmed him so much, that he never again exhibited. He minted both in oil and water-colours, ana nearly always finished his work upon the spot His exertions out-of-doors were fatal to his health ; he became very ill at Brighton, and when on his seemmg to be somewhat better his brother went down there to remove him to London, he fainted in the carriage, was carried back to his lodgings, and died at Brighton, November 29, 1873. He usually signed his pictures W. F. R.,or W. F. Ready.

REBECCA, Biaoio, A.R.A., history and ornamental painter. Of Italian ex- traction. He became a student of the Royal Academy in 1769, and an associate in 1771, in which year he exhibited a pic- ture of ' Hagar and Ishmael,' and in the following year, 'A Sacrifice to Minerva.' He contributed some weakly drawn illus- trations to Bell's poets. He was prin- cipally employed in painting staircases and ceilings with arabesques, and during several succeeding years he does not appear as an exhibitor. He probably became known to the royal family by his employment as a decorator, for it is said that he contributed to their amusement at Windsor by his facetious drawings and professional freaks. He died at his lodgings in Oxford Street, February 22, 1808, aged 73.

REDE, William, architect. He was bishop of Chichester in 1369, and deemed the best mathematician of his age. He built the first library at Merton College, and the Castle at Amberley, Sussex. He died 1385.

REDFERN, James F., sculptor. Was born in Derbyshire, and while yet a young village boy showed a talent for art, which was strikingly displayed by his carvings and modellings from the woodcuts of illus- trated newspapers. Mr. Beresford Hone, on whose estate he was born, placed him under the tuition of Mr. J. R. Clayton, and the fruit of this pupilage was a fine group, 'Cain killing Abel,' which called forth the warm approval of J. Foley. R.A. His patron also sent him to Paris tor six months, where he gained some knowledge of the language and of the work in its ateliers. After this he devoted himself chiefly to works of a Gothic character. He executed a very elaborate reredos for St Andrew's Church, Wells Street, a series of figures for the west front of Salisbury Cathedral, and some sculptures for Bristol Cathedral, which, owing to an outburst of party spirit, have not been allowed to be

5 laced there. He died at Hampstead, une 13, 1876, aged only 38.