Robert Charles Bell (15 September 1806 – 5 September 1872) was a Scottish engraver.

Life

Bell was born at

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and at an early age he was articled to

John Beugo John Beugo (7 May 1759 – 13 December 1841) was a Scottish engraver and printmaker. His most famous work was the engraved version of Alexander Nasmyth's portrait of Robert Burns. Biography Beugo was born in Edinburgh on 7 May 1759. He was ...

, the friend of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

, and while in his studio he also attended the classes at the

Trustees' Academy Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

, then under the direction of

Sir William Allan Sir William Allan (178223 February 1850) was a distinguished Scottish historical painter known for his scenes of Russian life. He became president of the Royal Scottish Academy and was made a Royal Academician. Life and work Allan was born ...

. After leaving Beugo he engraved a series of Scottish views and a considerable number of vignette portraits. Bell died in Edinburgh on 5 September 1872. His son, Robert Purves Bell, A.R.S.A., was a Scottish painter of figure subjects.

Works

The works which brought Bell into notice were 'The Rush Plaiters,' after Sir George Harvey, and the plates which he engraved for the Royal Scottish Association, among which were 'The Widow' and 'Roger and Jenny,' after Sir William Allan; 'The Expected Penny,' after Alexander Fraser; 'The Quarrel Scene in The Dowie Dens o' Yarrow,' after Sir J. Noel Paton and 'Baillie McWhirter at Breakfast,' after J. Eckford Lauder. A major plate was 'The Battle of Preston Pans,' after Sir William Allan, upon which he was engaged at intervals for some years, and which he had only just completed at the time of his death. Several of his best plates appeared in ''

The Art Journal ''The Art Journal'' was the most important British 19th-century magazine on art. It was founded in 1839 by Hodgson & Graves, print publishers, 6 Pall Mall, with the title ''Art Union Monthly Journal'' (or ''The Art Union''), the first issue of 7 ...

'' between the years 1850 and 1872. They included 'The Duet,' after

William Etty William Etty (10 March 1787 – 13 November 1849) was an English artist best known for his history paintings containing nude figures. He was the first significant British painter of nudes and still lifes. Born in York, he left scho ...

; 'The Philosopher,' after Henry Wyatt; 'The Bagpiper,' after Sir

David Wilkie David Wilkie may refer to: * David Wilkie (artist) (1785–1841), Scottish painter * David Wilkie (surgeon) (1882–1938), British surgeon, scientist and philanthropist * David Wilkie (footballer) (1914–2011), Australian rules footballer * David ...

; and 'The Young Brother,' after

William Mulready William Mulready (1 April 1786 – 7 July 1863) was an Irish genre painter living in London. He is best known for his romanticising depictions of rural scenes, and for creating Mulready stationery letter sheets, issued at the same time as the P ...

, from the pictures formerly in the Vernon Gallery;''ONNB''. See ''The Vernon Gallery of British Art'', ed. S. C. Hall (3 vols., 1854). 'Teasing the Pet,' after that by

Frans van Mieris the Elder Frans van Mieris the Elder (16 April 163512 March 1681), was a Dutch Golden Age genre and portrait painter. The leading member of a Leiden family of painters, his sons Jan (1660–1690) and Willem (1662–1747) and his grandson Frans van Mieris t ...

in the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

; 'Sancho Panza,' after that by C. R. Leslie in the Sheepshanks Collection; 'Words of Comfort,' after

Thomas Faed Thomas Faed RSA (1826–1900) was a Scottish painter who is said to have done for Scottish art what Robert Burns did for Scottish song. Life Faed was born on 8 June 1826, at Barlay Mill in Gatehouse of Fleet, Kirkcudbrightshire, and was th ...

; 'Renewal of the Lease refused,' after Erskine Nicol; and 'Within a Mile of Edinbro' Town,' after

John Faed John Faed, R.S.A. (31 August 1819 – 22 October 1902) was a Scottish painter. Life John was the eldest son of the six children of James Faed, tenant of Barlay Mill, Galloway, and Mary Faed, ''née'' McGeoch. Two other sons, Thomas, and Ja ...

References

Attribution

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Robert Charles Scottish engravers 1806 births 1872 deaths 19th-century Scottish people Artists from Edinburgh