Page:Dictionary of Artists of the English School (1878).djvu/41

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Kneller in the draperies and accessories of his portraits. A portrait by him of Sir Stephen Fox is finely engraved in mezzo- tint by J. Simon. A view of St Paul's by him was sold at Sir Mark Sykes's sale. Bannerman engraved his portrait on the same plate with Charles Boit, the enamel painter.

BAKER, J., engraver. Resided at Islington. Practised towards the end of the 18th century. There are by him some neatly engraved book plates, chiefly por- traits. He engraved for the ' European ' and other magazines.

BAKER, Joseph, draftsman. Was originally an actor at York, and master of the ceremonies in that city; but fond of art he became an able draftsman. Walpole mentions his having painted some church interiors. He drew, on a large scale, the cathedrals of York and Lincoln, which were well engraved by Francis Yivares. He died April 25, 1770.

BAKER, John, R.A.. flower painter. Born 1736. Was brea an ornamental coach painter, and became pre-eminently distinguished for the wreaths and floral decorations by which it was then the fashion to surround the family arms em- blazoned on coach-panels. These works by him had considerable merit, though marked by a sharp hardness of finish com- mon to this class of art. Later in life he devoted himself to flower painting, and attained great brilliancy in nis colouring. He first exhibited at the Spring Gardens Exhibition in 1762. He was one of the foundation members of the Royal Academy, and exhibited groups of flowers at the three first exhibitions. His presentation picture is a group of flowers. He died in Denmark Street, Soho, April 30, 1771. His widow was long a pensioner of the Royal Academy.

BAKER, Thomas, landscape painter. Born October 8, 1809. He practised in the Midland Counties, where he was known as ' Baker of Leamington/ and his art was patronised and esteemed. His water- colour showed' great versatility. He ex- hibited at the Royal Academy in 1831. He died August 10, 1869.

BAKER, Samuel, engraver. Practised in London towards the end of the 17th century. There are several engravings by him, but they do not possess much merit. For a series of costumes & la mode he engraved two or three of the plates, 1690.

BALD RE Y. John K., engraver and draftsman. Born about 1750. Practised bom in London and Cambridge between 1780-1810, working both in the chalk and dot manners ; many of his works are printed in colours. Among his best works are ' The Finding of Moses/ after Salvator Rosa, 1785 ; ' Diana in a Landscape/ after 20

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Carlo Maratti ; ' Lady Rawdon/ after Reynolds, 1783; and some subjects after Penny and Bunbury. His chief work is from the East Window of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, which he drew and engraved, and then finished highly in colours. He exhibited portraits at the Academy in 1793 and 1794. He retired to Hatfield, where he was living in 1821.

BALDWIN, Thomas, architect. Prac- tised in Bath, and about 1775 was appointed the architect of the corporation. He de- signed many of the mansions, the town- hall, the baths, the western front and portico of the king's pump-room, 1796. He also drew the plans of a Roman temple which was discovered in Bath. He died March 7, 1820, aged 70. Robert Baldwin practised in London as an architect about the same period.

BALMER, George, water-colour painter. Was the son of a house painter m North Shields, and intended for that business. He practised for a while as a decorator in Edinburgh, cultivating at the same time a taste for art. About 1831 he sent some water-colour drawings to an exhibition at Newcastle, and afterwards assisted Mr. W. J. Carmichael, the marine painter, in his large work, 'The Heroic Exploit of Admiral Collingwood at the Battle of Trafalgar/ a picture now at the Trinity House, Newcastle. He then visited Holland, the Rhine, Switzerland, and Paris, where he made some good studies at the Louvre. On his return he settled in London, and painted some Rhenish and Dutch shore and coast scenes and some moonlights. In 1836 he suggested to Messrs. Finden, ' The Ports and Harbours of Great Britain/ a publication which they commenced, containing many views, chiefly on the nortn coast, from his drawings, but the work was not continued. About 1842 he came into possession of some property. He had always been diffident of the merit of his works, and giving up his commissions, he retired to Ravenswortn, Durham. Here he lived about four years, amusing himself only with his art, when he was attacked by illness, and died in the prime of life on April 10, 1846.

BAMF YLDE, Copp Wabre, of Hester- combe, Somersetshire, amateur. Was conspicuous as a landscape painter towards the end of the 18th century, and was an honorary exhibitor at the Academy. There are some landscape etchings by him and some humorous caricatures on costume, 1776. Benazech, Canot, and Vivares en- graved after him.

• BANKS, Thomas, R.A., sculptor. Born in St. Mary's parish, Lambeth, Dec. 22, 1735 (some accounts say 1738). His father was land-steward and surveyor to the Duke of Beaufort. He was sent to school at Ross,