Charles Warren (engraver)
Encyclopedia
Charles Warren was an English line engraver
.
Warren was born in London
, and of his early career the only facts recorded are that he married at the age of eighteen, and was at one time engaged in engraving
on metal for calico printing
. He enjoyed a great reputation as an engraver of small book-illustrations during the last 20 years of his life. His engraved plates of Robert Smirke
in the English editions of the 'Arabian Nights' (1802), 'Gil Blas
' (1809), and 'Don Quixote' (1818), were very successful. His 'Broken Jar' (after David Wilkie
), one of the illustrations to poet Peter Coxe's 'Social Day', is a masterpiece of its kind.
Other fine publications to which he contributed were Kearsley's edition of "The Plays of William Shakespeare", Du Roveray's edition of "The Poetical works of Alexander Pope
, Walker's 'British Classics', Sharpe's 'Classics', Suttaby's 'Poets', and 'Physiognomical Portraits.'
Warren was an active member of the Society of Arts and also of the "Artists' Fund Society", of which he was president from 1812 to 1815. In 1823, he was awarded the large gold medal of the Society of Arts for valuable improvements which he made in the preparation of steel plates for engraving, but he did not live to receive his award, dying suddenly in Wandsworth
, London on 21 April of that year. He was buried at St. Sepulchre's, Newgate Stree
t.
There is a portrait of Warren from a sketch by William Mulready
in John Pye's Patronage of British Art.
Ambrose William Warren (c. 1781 –- 1856), the son of Charles Warren, and one of 8 children, was also a line-engraver of note. Examples of his work can be found in Cattermole's 'Book of the Cartoons' (Houlston and Hughes, 1840), the 'Gem' (1830-1), and 'Ancient Marbles in the British Museum.' His most important single plates are 'The Beggar's Petition' (after W. F. Witherington
, 1827), and 'The New Coat' (after David Wilkie, 1832). He died in 1856.
Line engraving
Line engraving is a term for engraved images printed on paper to be used as prints or illustrations. The term is now much less used and when is, it is mainly in connection with 18th or 19th century commercial illustrations for magazines and books, or reproductions of paintings.Steel engraving is...
.
Life and work
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...
, and of his early career the only facts recorded are that he married at the age of eighteen, and was at one time engaged in engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
on metal for calico printing
Textile printing
Textile printing is the process of applying colour to fabric in definite patterns or designs. In properly printed fabrics the colour is bonded with the fiber, so as to resist washing and friction...
. He enjoyed a great reputation as an engraver of small book-illustrations during the last 20 years of his life. His engraved plates of Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke (painter)
Robert Smirke , was an English painter and illustrator.-Life and work:Smirke was born at Wigton near Carlisle, the son of a clever but eccentric travelling artist. In his thirteenth year he was apprenticed in London with an heraldic painter, and, at the age of twenty, began to study at the schools...
in the English editions of the 'Arabian Nights' (1802), 'Gil Blas
Gil Blas
Gil Blas is a picaresque novel by Alain-René Lesage published between 1715 and 1735. It is considered to be the last masterpiece of the picaresque genre.-Plot summary:...
' (1809), and 'Don Quixote' (1818), were very successful. His 'Broken Jar' (after David Wilkie
David Wilkie (artist)
Sir David Wilkie was a Scottish painter.- Early life :Wilkie was the son of the parish minister of Cults in Fife. He developed a love for art at an early age. In 1799, after he had attended school at Pitlessie, Kettle and Cupar, his father reluctantly agreed to his becoming a painter...
), one of the illustrations to poet Peter Coxe's 'Social Day', is a masterpiece of its kind.
Other fine publications to which he contributed were Kearsley's edition of "The Plays of William Shakespeare", Du Roveray's edition of "The Poetical works of Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
, Walker's 'British Classics', Sharpe's 'Classics', Suttaby's 'Poets', and 'Physiognomical Portraits.'
Warren was an active member of the Society of Arts and also of the "Artists' Fund Society", of which he was president from 1812 to 1815. In 1823, he was awarded the large gold medal of the Society of Arts for valuable improvements which he made in the preparation of steel plates for engraving, but he did not live to receive his award, dying suddenly in Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
, London on 21 April of that year. He was buried at St. Sepulchre's, Newgate Stree
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, also known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , is an Anglican church in the City of London. It is located on Holborn Viaduct, almost opposite the Old Bailey...
t.
There is a portrait of Warren from a sketch by William Mulready
William Mulready
William Mulready was an Irish genre painter living in London. He is best known for his romanticizing depictions of rural scenes, and for creating Mulready stationery letter sheets, issued at the same time as the Penny Black postage stamp.-Life and family:William Mulready was born in Ennis, County...
in John Pye's Patronage of British Art.
Ambrose William Warren (c. 1781 –- 1856), the son of Charles Warren, and one of 8 children, was also a line-engraver of note. Examples of his work can be found in Cattermole's 'Book of the Cartoons' (Houlston and Hughes, 1840), the 'Gem' (1830-1), and 'Ancient Marbles in the British Museum.' His most important single plates are 'The Beggar's Petition' (after W. F. Witherington
William Frederick Witherington
William Frederick Witherington was an English painter and academic. Born in London, he entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1805. Except for one year he exhibited annually at the Royal Academy from 1811 until his death. He was elected A.R.A. on 1 November 1830 and R.A. on 10 February 1840...
, 1827), and 'The New Coat' (after David Wilkie, 1832). He died in 1856.
External links
- Portrait sculpture of Charles Warren (National Portrait Gallery, London)