Bernard Baron (1696? – 1762) Web articl

Library of Congress, lower section "About the Artists" was a French engraver and

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

who spent much of his life in England.

Life

Henry VIII Presenting a Charter to the Barber Surgeons Company by Bernard Baron

Baron was born in Paris in 1696, the son of the engraver Laurent Baron and his wife Aveline, and studied under his stepfather,

Nicolas-Henri Tardieu Nicolas-Henri Tardieu, called the "Tardieu the elder", (18 January 1674 - 27 January 1749) was a prominent French engraver, known for his sensitive reproductions of Antoine Watteau's paintings. He was appointed ''graveur du roi'' (King's Engraver) ...

. In 1712 he moved to London at the invitation of Claude Dubosc, in order to assist him on his engravings of Laguerre's mural at Marlborough House. He was one of the French engravers who produced a set of plates after Thornhill's paintings in the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, and in 1720 he assisted Dubosc and

Nicolas Dorigny Sir Nicolas Dorigny was a French engraving, engraver, the youngest son of Michel Dorigny, and was born in Paris in 1652 or 1658.Grove His education prepared him for the legal field, and he followed that profession until he was thirty years of age, ...

with their engravings after the Raphael cartoons. In 1724 Baron engraved eight plates of the ''Life of Achilles'' after Rubens. In 1729, he temporarily returned to Paris where he engraved four plates for the ''Recueil Jullienne'', a compendium of 271 engravings of Watteau's paintings and decorations commissioned by the textile manufacturer, engraver, and art collector Jean de Jullienne, eventually published in 1735. Some art historians have suggested that a drawing by Watteau of an engraver at work, in the collection of British Museum, is a portrait of Baron. He also engraved a plate after Titian for the ''Recueil Crozat'', a collection of prints of Italian paintings in French collections published in 1742. In 1735 Baron was one of a group of leading London artists shown in

Gawen Hamilton Gawen Hamilton (1698 – 1737), easily confused with the later, more prominent artist Gavin Hamilton (artist), Gavin Hamilton, was a Scottish painter working in London, a member of the Rose and Crown Club. He was one of the first wave of British b ...

's painting ''A Conversation of Virtuosis'' He was one of four French engravers employed by

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like s ...

to produce plates for his series '' Marriage à la mode''. He also engraved portraits by Hogarth and Allan Ramsay, and works by Holbein, Rubens,

Van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

, and Teniers. He gave evidence to the committee of the House of Commons which led to the Engravers Copyright Act. He died in London on 24 January 1762. His plates were inherited by his son, also called Bernard, on whose death they were bought by the publisher John Boydell. Writing in the late 18th century, Joseph Strutt described Baron's style as "slight and coarse, without any great effect", adding that "his drawing is frequently very defective."

Works

His most notable works were:

Portraits

*''King Charles I on Horseback, with the Duke d'Epernon'', after Van Dyck. *''Charles I and Queen, with their two Sons'', after Van Dyck. *''The Nassau Family'', from a picture in

Earl Cowper Earl Cowper ( ) was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1718 by George I for William Cowper, 1st Baron Cowper, his first Lord Chancellor, with remainder in default of male issue of his own to his younger brother, Spencer C ...

's collection, by Van Dyck. *''The Pembroke Family'', from a picture at

Wilton House Wilton House is an English country house at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire, which has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years. It was built on the site of the medieval Wilton Abbey. Following the dissolution o ...

, by Van Dyck. *''Henry VIII granting the Charter to the Barber-Surgeons' Company'', after

Holbein Hans Holbein may refer to: * Hans Holbein the Elder Hans Holbein the Elder ( , ; german: Hans Holbein der Ältere; – 1524) was a German painter. Life Holbein was born in free imperial city of Augsburg (Germany), and died in Issenheim, Alsa ...

(pictured). *''Robert, Earl of Carnarvon'', and ''Anna Sophia, Countess of Carnavon'', both after Van Dyck. *''George, Prince of Wales, on Horseback'', after Adolph. *''Cornells van Tromp, Vice-Admiral of Holland'', after

John Vanderbank John Vanderbank (9 September 1694 – 23 December 1739)Waterhouse, Ellis. ''Painting in Britain 1530–1790'' (Penguin Books, 1957). was a leading English portrait painter who enjoyed a high reputation during the last decade of George I of Gr ...

. *''Dr. Mead'', after Allan Ramsay. *''The Lord Chancellor Hardwick'', after Allan Ramsay. *''The Lord Chief Justice Reve'', after J. Amiconi. *''The Cornaro Family'', after

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

, from a picture in the collection of the

Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke ...

. *''Benjamin Hoadly, Bishop of Winchester'', after Hogarth.

After other paintings

* Nine plates of ''the Life of Achilles'', with the titles; after

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

. *''Belisarius'', incorrectly called after Van Dyck. *''Charles I escaping from Hampton Court'', after J. d' Angelis. *''Jupiter and Antiope'', after Titian, for the Crozat Collection. *''Pan and Syrinx'', after

Nicolas Bertin Nicolas Bertin (1667 in Paris – 1736) was a French painter. A student of Jean Jouvenet, Vernansal the elder and Louis Boullongne, he won the prix de Rome in 1685 for ''"Construction of Noah's ark"''. He was admitted to the Académie royale de ...

. *''The Card-players'' and ''The Temptation of St. Anthony'' after

Teniers Teniers is a Dutch language surname. It may refer to: *Abraham Teniers (1629–1670), Flemish painter *David Teniers the Elder David Teniers the Elder (158229 July 1649), Flemish painter, was born at Antwerp. Biography Having received his fi ...

. *''The Italian Comedians'', ''The Companion'', ''The Two Cousins'', ''Soldiers plundering a Village'' and ''The Peasants revenged'', after

Watteau Jean-Antoine Watteau (, , ; baptised October 10, 1684died July 18, 1721) Alsavailablevia Oxford Art Online (subscription needed). was a French painter and draughtsman whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement, as ...

. *''St. Cecilia'', after

Carlo Dolci Carlo (or Carlino) Dolci (25 May 1616 – 17 January 1686) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Florence, known for highly finished religious pictures, often repeated in many versions. Biography He was born in Florence, ...

. *''Moses exposed on the Nile'', after Le Sueur. * Two plates after Hogarth's ''Marriage-à-la-mode''.

References

Sources