John Swaine
Encyclopedia
John Swaine was an English
draughtsman and engraver.
, Middlesex
, on 26 June 1775, the son of John and Margaret Swaine, and became a pupil first of Jacob Schnebbelie
and afterwards of Barak Longmate
. He is best known for his excellent facsimile
copies of old prints, of which the most noteworthy are the famous portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout
, William Faithorne
's portrait of Thomas Stanley
, David Loggan
's frontispiece to the Book of Common Prayer
, and the plates to William Ottley
's ‘History of Engraving,’ (1816), and Singer
's ‘History of Playing Cards,’ 1816.
He also engraved many illustrations for various scientific, topographical, and antiquarian works, including the whole series of plates in William Marsden's 'Oriental Coins,’ (1823–5), and many subjects of natural history for the transactions of the Linnean
, Zoological
, and Entomological
societies. There are a few contemporary portraits by him, including one of Marshal Blücher
, after Friedrich Rehberg
. Swaine contributed engravings to 'The Gentleman's Magazine
’ for fifty years, commencing in 1804.
Swaine died in Dean Street, Soho
, London
, on 25 November 1860. In 1797 he married the daughter of his master, Barak Longmate. She died in October 1822.
Swaine taught engraving to his young nephew, James Fahey
, who went on to become a notable landscape painter.
, and while still a boy did some good antiquarian work. Drawings by him, illustrating papers by Alfred John Kempe, appeared in ‘Archæologia,’ 1832 and 1834. In 1833 he was awarded the Isis gold medal of the Society of Arts for an etching
, and in that year drew, etched, and published a large plate of the east window of St. Margaret's, Westminster
. In 1834, having taken up oil painting, he visited The Hague
and Paris
to study and copy in the galleries there. He walked from Holland to Paris, making many sketches on the way. In Paris he painted much and also tried his hand successfully at wood engraving
. He engraved in mezzotint
Rembrandt's ‘Spanish Officer,’ also a picture by himself entitled 'The Dutch Governess,’ and a portrait of A. J. Kempe. In 1837 he etched a plate of the altar window at Hampton Lucy
in Warwickshire
.
Swaine was a versatile artist of great promise, but died young, after a long illness, at the age of 23 in Queen Street, Golden Square
, London, on 28 March 1838.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
draughtsman and engraver.
Life and work
Swaine was born at StanwellStanwell
Stanwell is a suburban village in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne. It is located 15.7 miles west south-west of Charing Cross and half a mile from the southern boundary of London Heathrow Airport and the London Borough of Hillingdon...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, on 26 June 1775, the son of John and Margaret Swaine, and became a pupil first of Jacob Schnebbelie
Jacob Schnebbelie
Jacob Schnebbelie was an English draughtsman, specialising in monuments and other historical subjects.Schnebbelie was born in Duke's Court, St. Martin's Lane, London, on 30 Aug. 1760...
and afterwards of Barak Longmate
Barak Longmate
Barak Longmate was an English genealogist and editor, heraldic engraver and publisher.-Life and work:Longmate was born in 1738, son of Barak and Elizabeth Longmate of St James's, Westminster in London. He engraved some topographical drawings, but was more distinguished as an heraldic engraver...
. He is best known for his excellent facsimile
Facsimile
A facsimile is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of reproduction by attempting to replicate the source as accurately as possible in terms of scale,...
copies of old prints, of which the most noteworthy are the famous portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout
Martin Droeshout
Martin Droeshout was an English engraver of Flemish descent, whose fame rests completely on the fact that he made the title portrait for William Shakespeare's collected works, the First Folio of 1623, edited by John Heminges and Henry Condell, fellow actors of the Bard.-Shakespeare:Droeshout would...
, William Faithorne
William Faithorne
William Faithorne , often "the Elder", , English painter and engraver, was born in London and was apprenticed to William Peake....
's portrait of Thomas Stanley
Thomas Stanley (author)
Sir Thomas Stanley was an English author and translator.-Life:He was born in Cumberlow, Hertfordshire, the son of Sir Thomas Stanley of Cumberlow, Hertfordshire and his wife, Mary Hammond. Mary was the cousin of Richard Lovelace, and Stanley was educated in company with the son of Edward Fairfax,...
, David Loggan
David Loggan
David Loggan was an English baroque engraver, draughtsman and painter.-Life:He was baptized 27 August 1634 in Danzig, then a semi-autonomous city within Prussian Poland and a member of the Hanseatic League...
's frontispiece to the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
, and the plates to William Ottley
William Young Ottley
William Young Ottley was an English collector of and writer on art, amateur artist, and keeper of prints at the British Museum. He was an early English enthusiast for 14th- and 15th-century Italian art, or the "Italian Primitives" as they were then often called.-Life:He was born near Thatcham,...
's ‘History of Engraving,’ (1816), and Singer
Samuel Weller Singer
Samuel Weller Singer was an author and scholar on the work of William Shakespeare. He is also now remembered as a pioneer historian of card games.-Life:...
's ‘History of Playing Cards,’ 1816.
He also engraved many illustrations for various scientific, topographical, and antiquarian works, including the whole series of plates in William Marsden's 'Oriental Coins,’ (1823–5), and many subjects of natural history for the transactions of the Linnean
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
, Zoological
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
, and Entomological
Royal Entomological Society of London
The Royal Entomological Society of London is devoted to insect study. It has a major national and international role in disseminating information about insects and improving communication between entomologists....
societies. There are a few contemporary portraits by him, including one of Marshal Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt , Graf , later elevated to Fürst von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall who led his army against Napoleon I at the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig in 1813 and at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 with the Duke of Wellington.He is...
, after Friedrich Rehberg
Friedrich Rehberg
Friedrich Rehberg was a German portrait and historical painter.-Life and work:Rehberg was born into a middle-class protestant family in Hanover in 1758, the son of a secretary for the estates of Calenberg . His elder brother, August Wilhelm Rehberg , became a notable politician, philosopher and...
. Swaine contributed engravings to 'The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine was founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term "magazine" for a periodical...
’ for fifty years, commencing in 1804.
Swaine died in Dean Street, Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on 25 November 1860. In 1797 he married the daughter of his master, Barak Longmate. She died in October 1822.
Swaine taught engraving to his young nephew, James Fahey
James Fahey (painter)
James Fahey was an English landscape painter.-Life and work:Fahey was born at Paddington, then a village near London, and at first studied engraving under his uncle, John Swaine...
, who went on to become a notable landscape painter.
John Barak Swaine
John Barak Swaine (1815?–1838), his only son, studied in the schools of the Royal AcademyRoyal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
, and while still a boy did some good antiquarian work. Drawings by him, illustrating papers by Alfred John Kempe, appeared in ‘Archæologia,’ 1832 and 1834. In 1833 he was awarded the Isis gold medal of the Society of Arts for an etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
, and in that year drew, etched, and published a large plate of the east window of St. Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
. In 1834, having taken up oil painting, he visited The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study and copy in the galleries there. He walked from Holland to Paris, making many sketches on the way. In Paris he painted much and also tried his hand successfully at wood engraving
Wood engraving
Wood engraving is a technique in printmaking where the "matrix" worked by the artist is a block of wood. It is a variety of woodcut and so a relief printing technique, where ink is applied to the face of the block and printed by using relatively low pressure. A normal engraving, like an etching,...
. He engraved in mezzotint
Mezzotint
Mezzotint is a printmaking process of the intaglio family, technically a drypoint method. It was the first tonal method to be used, enabling half-tones to be produced without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple...
Rembrandt's ‘Spanish Officer,’ also a picture by himself entitled 'The Dutch Governess,’ and a portrait of A. J. Kempe. In 1837 he etched a plate of the altar window at Hampton Lucy
Hampton Lucy
Hampton Lucy is a village and civil parish on the River Avon, northeast of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire.-Prominent residents:*Charles Maries , the Victorian botanist was born and educated at Hampton Lucy....
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
Swaine was a versatile artist of great promise, but died young, after a long illness, at the age of 23 in Queen Street, Golden Square
Golden Square
Golden Square, Soho, London in the City of Westminster is one of the historic squares of Central London. The square is just east of Regent Street and north of Piccadilly Circus....
, London, on 28 March 1838.
External links
- Engravings of portraits (National Portrait gallery, London)