Isaac Beckett (1653 – 1719) was an English

mezzotint Mezzotint is a monochrome printmaking process of the '' intaglio'' family. It was the first printing process that yielded half-tones without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple. Mezzotint achieves tonali ...

engraver, one of the first practitioners of the art in the country.

Life and work

Beckett was born in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

in 1653, and apprenticed to a

calico Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...

printer in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, but, after meeting

Edward Luttrell Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

, he decided to learn the new art of engraving in mezzotint. Hearing that one John Lloyd was acquainted with the process, and being obliged through an intrigue to absent himself from his business, Beckett offered his services to him, and entered into articles to work for him. Before long, however, he again fell into trouble, and was assisted by Luttrell, with whom he became associated in the development of the art. He is said to have married a woman of fortune, which enabled him to set up as the publisher of his own prints. Luttrell did many heads for him, being more skilful in drawing than Beckett, but they were often finished by the latter. His plates are all referable to dates between 1681 and 1688, although he lived until 1719. Beckett and Robert Williams were the first native Englishmen who extensively practised engraving in mezzotint, and, in a measure, may be considered to have founded the school, for the earlier works were executed chiefly by engravers of foreign birth. John Smith (1652?–1742) was Beckett's pupil, and appears to have obtained possession of many of his plates and to have placed his own name on them, not only as publisher, but on some even as engraver. Beckett engraved several biblical and allegorical subjects and as a few landscapes, but the great majority of his plates are portraits, of which 107 are known.Smith, John Chaloner.
British mezzotinto portraits, volume 1
' pp. 21-55 (London : H. Sotheran, 1884).

Engraved Portraits

His engraved portraits include: *''Sir

Godfrey Kneller Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723), was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to Kingdom of England, English and Br ...

'' (from a picture by Kneller). *'' Charles II'' (after Kneller). *''

James, Duke of York James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

'' (after the same). *'' Henry, Duke of Grafton'' (after T. Hawker). *'' The Duchess of Grafton''; after Wissing. *''Charles Melford'' (after the same). *''Sir

Peter Lely Sir Peter Lely (14 September 1618 – 7 December 1680) was a painter of Dutch origin whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court. Life Lely was born Pieter van der Faes to Dutch ...

'' ("Se ipse pinx" - see illustration above) *'' George, Prince of Denmark'' (after Riley). *'' Henry Compton, Bishop of London'' (after the same). *'' Christopher, Earl of Albemarle'' (after Murray). *'' George, Duke of Buckingham'' (after Verhelst). *''

John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale John Maitland, 1st Duke and 2nd Earl of Lauderdale, 3rd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane KG PC (24 May 1616, Lethington, East Lothian – 24 August 1682), was a Scottish politician, and leader within the Cabal Ministry. Background Maitland ...

'' (after Riley). *'' Henry, Duke of Norfolk''. *'' Thomas Cartwright, Bishop of Chester'' . *''Lady Williams'' (full length). *''Adrian Beverland'' (drawn from a statue). Beckett's own portrait was engraved by his pupil John Smith and others.

Engraved Subjects

*''The Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, with the Infant Jesus asleep, with two Angels'' (painter unnamed). *''Time cutting the Wings of Love''. *''Cupid and Psyche'' (after

Alessandro Turchi Alessandro Turchi (1578 – 22 January 1649) was an Italian painter of the early Baroque, born and active mainly in Verona, and moving late in life to Rome. He also went by the name Alessandro Veronese or the nickname ''L'Orbetto''. His style ...

). *''A Landscape, with a Shepherd and Shepherdess''. *''The Dutch Schoolmaster'' (after

Heemskerk Heemskerk () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is located in the Kennemerland region. Local government As of March 2022, the municipal council of Heemskerk consists of 25 seats, which are divide ...

). *''The Village Barber Surgeon'' (after J. Lingelbach).

References

Attribution: *

External links

Sir Peter Lely
(engraved by Beckett and Smith) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beckett, Isaac English engravers 1653 births 1719 deaths People from Kent