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Nathaniel Marchant (1739–1816) was an English gem engraver.
Marchant was born in
A Catalogue of One Hundred Impressions from Gems, Engraved by Nathaniel Marchant.
Internet Archive.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marchant, Nathaniel Royal Academicians English artists People from Sussex 1739 births 1816 deaths
Life
Marchant was born in Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
in 1739. He studied under Edward Burch, and in 1766 became a member of the Incorporated Society of Artists
The Society of Artists of Great Britain was founded in London in May 1761 by an association of artists in order to provide a venue for the public exhibition of recent work by living artists, such as was having success in the long-established P ...
.
In 1773 he went to Rome, where he remained until 1789, when, having already gained a considerable at reputation for his engraved gems, he returned to London.
He was noted as a sculptor of intaglios, medals, and poetical designs for cameos His subjects included copies from the antique, adaptations of famous paintings and portraits of his contemporaries. He held several appointments, including as assistant engraver to the mint, gem sculptor to the Prince of Wales, engraver to the king, and from 1800, engraver to the Stamp Office.
He was elected an associate of the Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
in 1791 and a full academician in 1809. When elected to the academy, Marchant originally offered a set of impressions of gems he had cut as his diploma work.They were however rejected on the grounds that they were not, as required by the Academy, " original work". He then sent a cast of a female head, which was also declined "casts not being deemed admissible from sculptors." He finally he submitted a gem which was accepted.
In 1792 he published a catalogue of a hundred of his gems.
He died in 1816.
References
Further reading
* G. Seidmann, 'Nathaniel Marchant, gem-engraver, 1739-1816', in ''Walpole Society''; 53 (1987), p. 1-105A Catalogue of One Hundred Impressions from Gems, Engraved by Nathaniel Marchant.
Internet Archive.
External links
*{{DEFAULTSORT:Marchant, Nathaniel Royal Academicians English artists People from Sussex 1739 births 1816 deaths