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William Woollett (15 August 173523 May 1785) was an English engraver operating in the 18th century.
Thomas Hearne became apprenticed to him in 1765, Woollett came to consider him the finest landscape engraver of his day; he stayed for six years.
Benjamin Thomas Pouncy (B.T. Pouncy) (died 1799), was a pupil.
He died in London; his is one of the many graves in Old St. Pancras Churchyard. He is not listed on the memorial to important lost graves erected in the 19th century.
A catalogue raisonné of the engraved works of William Woollett
' (London, The Fine art society Ltd., 1885).
Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers, volume 5
(New York: Macmillan, 1903) p394. *Brendan Cassidy, 'William Woollett's Ring', ''Print Quarterly'', Vol.XXXV No.1 March 2018, pp70–71.
(woolletthistory.co.uk)
Engravings by Woolett
(
William Woollett & William Hogarth – Frontispiece to Taylor's Perspective
(Art of the Print)
Phaeton
(engraving after Richard Wilson)
Works by Woolett
(National Portrait gallery, London) *
William Woollett
(William Woollett at Geni) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Woollett, William 1735 births 1785 deaths English engravers People from Maidstone Burials at St Pancras Old Church
William Woollett (15 August 173523 May 1785) was an English engraver operating in the 18th century.
Life
Woolett was born inMaidstone
Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...
, of a family which came originally from the Netherlands.
He was apprenticed to John Tinney
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
, an engraver in Fleet Street, London, and studied in the St Martin's Lane academy
The St Martin's Lane Academy, a precursor of the Royal Academy, was organised in 1735 by William Hogarth, from the circle of artists and designers who gathered at Slaughter's Coffee House at the upper end of St Martin's Lane, London. The artisti ...
. His first important plate was from '' The Destruction of the Children of Niobe'' of Richard Wilson, published by Boydell in 1761, which was followed in 1763 by a companion engraving from the "Phaethon" of the same painter. After Benjamin West
Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...
he engraved his fine plate of the "Battle of La Hogue" (1781), and "The Death of General Wolfe
''The Death of General Wolfe'' is a 1770 painting by Anglo-American artist Benjamin West, commemorating the 1759 Battle of Quebec, where General James Wolfe died at the moment of victory. The painting, containing vivid suggestions of martyrdom, ...
" (1776), which is usually considered Woollett's masterpiece. In 1775 he was appointed engraver-in-ordinary to George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
; and he was 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 ...
, of which for several years he acted as secretary.
Woollett's plates combined engraving, etching, and dry-point; and were considered highly esteemed examples of the English school of engraving. Louis Fagan, in his ''Catalogue Raisonné of the Engraved Works of William Woollett'' (1885), enumerated 123 plates by Woollett.
Thomas Hearne became apprenticed to him in 1765, Woollett came to consider him the finest landscape engraver of his day; he stayed for six years.
Benjamin Thomas Pouncy (B.T. Pouncy) (died 1799), was a pupil.
He died in London; his is one of the many graves in Old St. Pancras Churchyard. He is not listed on the memorial to important lost graves erected in the 19th century.
Memorials
A monument to his memory, byThomas Banks
Thomas Banks (29 December 1735 – 2 February 1805) was an important 18th-century English sculptor.
Life
The son of William Banks, a surveyor who was land steward to the Duke of Beaufort, he was born in London. He was educated at Ross-on-Wye ...
, stands in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
.Dictionary of British Sculptors, 1660–1851, Rupert Gunnis
References
Further reading
*Fagan, Louis.A catalogue raisonné of the engraved works of William Woollett
' (London, The Fine art society Ltd., 1885).
Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers, volume 5
(New York: Macmillan, 1903) p394. *Brendan Cassidy, 'William Woollett's Ring', ''Print Quarterly'', Vol.XXXV No.1 March 2018, pp70–71.
External links
(woolletthistory.co.uk)
Engravings by Woolett
(
Government Art Collection
The Government Art Collection (GAC) is the collection of artworks owned by the UK government and administered by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The GAC's artworks are used to decorate major government buildings in t ...
)William Woollett & William Hogarth – Frontispiece to Taylor's Perspective
(Art of the Print)
Phaeton
(engraving after Richard Wilson)
Works by Woolett
(National Portrait gallery, London) *
William Woollett
(William Woollett at Geni) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Woollett, William 1735 births 1785 deaths English engravers People from Maidstone Burials at St Pancras Old Church