Richard Cooper the elder (1701–1764) was an English engraver, who for most of his career worked in Edinburgh. Richard Cooper Davison

Life

Cooper was born in London, and studied engraving under John Pine. On the death of his father he was able to visit Italy, where he spent several years studying the masters, becoming a competent artist, and forming a collection of drawings and prints. On his return to England Cooper went with a Mr. Guthrie, to Edinburgh where he settled as an engraver. He built a house in St. John Street, which he decorated with his own pictures. He took on apprentices including Robert Strange. Cooper died in 1764, and was buried in the Canongate churchyard, Edinburgh.

Works

Cooper is best known for his contemporary portraits. Among his line engravings were: *

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...

the oculist, after William de Nune; *

William Carstares William Carstares (also Carstaires; 11 February 164928 December 1715) was a Scottish minister who was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1705, 1708, 1711 and 1715. He was active in Whig politics and was Principal ...

and Andrew Allan, both after W. Robinson; *

Hew Dalrymple, Lord North Berwick Sir Hew Dalrymple, Lord North Berwick (1652–1737) was a Scotland, Scottish judge and politician. The third son of James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair, he was Commissary of Edinburgh; Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland for New Gallo ...

, after William Aikman; *

John Napier John Napier of Merchiston ( ; Latinisation of names, Latinized as Ioannes Neper; 1 February 1550 – 4 April 1617), nicknamed Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish landowner known as a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He was the 8 ...

, the inventor of logarithms; *

George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys (15 May 1645 – 18 April 1689), also known as "the Hanging Judge", was a Welsh judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor (and serving as L ...

, and others. He also engraved in

mezzotint Mezzotint is a monochrome printmaking process of the intaglio (printmaking), 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. Mezzo ...

, examples being: *

Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Ilay, (June 1682 – 15 April 1761) was a Scottish nobleman, politician, lawyer, businessman, and soldier. He was known as Lord Archibald Campbell from 1703 to 1706, and as the Earl of Ilay fr ...

, after Aikman; *

John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair Field Marshal John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair, (20 July 16739 May 1747) was a British army officer and diplomat who served as the British ambassador to France from 1714 to 1720. He served in the Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession ...

, after

Godfrey Kneller Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723) was a German-born British painter. The leading Portrait painting, portraitist in England during the late Stuart period, Stuart and early Georgian eras ...

; * Lady Wallace, and others. Cooper engraved anatomical plates for the ''Edinburgh Medical Essays'', and book-plates, and other similar compositions. He is also considered by some to be the founder of The Canongate Concert Hall, the first building purpose-built for theatre in Scotland. In 1747 he applied to the Edinburgh Dean of Guild Court to build 'a house in a garden opposite to St. John's Cross, Canongate, wholly belonging to himself in property', however it was used as a concert hall. Built during the 1737 Theatres Licensing Act, it attempted to circumvent the legislation by displaying concerts of music instead of formal plays but was eventually closed due to a lack of Royal Permit before reopening as the Theatre Royal in 1767.

Family

About 1738 Cooper married Ann Lind, by whom he left a son, Richard Cooper the younger, who followed his father's profession.

Notes

External links

* The information in this article is out of date and is also inaccurate. See

* See https://sites.google.com/site/richardcooperengraver/ ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Richard 1701 births 1764 deaths 18th-century English engravers Artists from London