John Pine
Encyclopedia
John Pine was an English designer, engraver, and cartographer notable for his artistic contribution to the Augustan style and Newtonian scientific paradigm that flourished during the British Enlightenment.
, a society with which he became affiliated. However, the United Grand Lodge of England
has not been able to verify such claims.
Pine began his career as an apprentice goldsmith. He also apprenticed with the French engraver Bernard Picart
(1673–1733), who was associated with a movement described by historian Margaret Jacob as the “Radical Enlightenment.”
, who also began his career as an engraver. It appears likely that their careers were mutually reinforcing, even though Pine remained principally in the field of engraving while Hogarth became a famous painter. Both men were Freemasons, a social affiliation that was also a means of marketing their talents. Pine was a member of the Lodge that met at the Horn Tavern in Westminster and joined with other Lodges to form the Grand Lodge in 1717.
Pine engraved the frontispiece of the 1723 Constitutions of the Freemasons, which elevated his status as an artist and secured his position as principal engraver for the Grand Lodge. Subsequent work for the Grand Lodge included annual engraved lists of member Lodges, which provided details about the time and place of their meetings. These engravings included miniature signs for each Lodge symbolizing their meeting place, usually a tavern. Pine’s work is an essential part of the record of early Freemasonry.
In 1731, Pine worked with James Oglethorpe
and the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America
on the first conceptual map of the colony, illustrating many of its design principles. He may have prepared the more detailed plan for the town of Savannah, the source of which remains an intriguing mystery to town planners.
In 1733, Pine began work on an edition of the works of Horace, considered a masterpiece of 18th-century book art. He engraved the text and illustrations for the entire work, which consisted of hundreds of pages. Subscribers who underwrote the project included the Prince of Wales, Handel, Alexander Pope, and Hogarth.
In 1735, Pine successfully collaborated with Hogarth and George Virtue
in obtaining passage of a law enacted by Parliament securing copyrights for artists. He was a governor of the Foundling Hospital. In 1755 he was among those who attempted to form a royal academy for the arts, but he did not live to see it established.
Pine collaborated with surveyor John Rocque on the first detailed map of London, published in 1747.
of Arms in Ordinary.
His son, Robert Edge Pine
(1730–1788), became a notable portrait painter of the late eighteenth century in both England and America. He painted George II
and the famous actor David Garrick
before emigrating to America where he painted Washington and other figures of the Revolutionary Era. Another son, Simon, became a miniature painter in Bath. Pine’s daughter, Charlotte, married a painter and was painted by Hogarth.
Early life and apprenticeships
Little is known of Pine’s parents or ancestry. Biographical sketches frequently refer to him as black or of African ancestry, especially in the lore of FreemasonryFreemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, a society with which he became affiliated. However, the United Grand Lodge of England
United Grand Lodge of England
The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...
has not been able to verify such claims.
Pine began his career as an apprentice goldsmith. He also apprenticed with the French engraver Bernard Picart
Bernard Picart
Bernard Picart , was a French engraver, son of Etienne Picart, also an engraver. He was born in Paris and died in Amsterdam. He moved to Antwerp in 1696, and then spent a year in Amsterdam before returning to France at the end of 1698...
(1673–1733), who was associated with a movement described by historian Margaret Jacob as the “Radical Enlightenment.”
Career
Pine was a close friend of William HogarthWilliam Hogarth
William Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
, who also began his career as an engraver. It appears likely that their careers were mutually reinforcing, even though Pine remained principally in the field of engraving while Hogarth became a famous painter. Both men were Freemasons, a social affiliation that was also a means of marketing their talents. Pine was a member of the Lodge that met at the Horn Tavern in Westminster and joined with other Lodges to form the Grand Lodge in 1717.
Pine engraved the frontispiece of the 1723 Constitutions of the Freemasons, which elevated his status as an artist and secured his position as principal engraver for the Grand Lodge. Subsequent work for the Grand Lodge included annual engraved lists of member Lodges, which provided details about the time and place of their meetings. These engravings included miniature signs for each Lodge symbolizing their meeting place, usually a tavern. Pine’s work is an essential part of the record of early Freemasonry.
In 1731, Pine worked with James Oglethorpe
James Oglethorpe
James Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...
and the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America
Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America
The Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America, or simply the Georgia Trustees, was organized by James Edward Oglethorpe and associates following Parliamentary investigations into prison conditions in Britain. The organization petitioned for a royal charter in July, 1731,...
on the first conceptual map of the colony, illustrating many of its design principles. He may have prepared the more detailed plan for the town of Savannah, the source of which remains an intriguing mystery to town planners.
In 1733, Pine began work on an edition of the works of Horace, considered a masterpiece of 18th-century book art. He engraved the text and illustrations for the entire work, which consisted of hundreds of pages. Subscribers who underwrote the project included the Prince of Wales, Handel, Alexander Pope, and Hogarth.
In 1735, Pine successfully collaborated with Hogarth and George Virtue
George Virtue
George C. Virtue, Esq. was a 19th-century London publisher, well-known for printing engravings. His publishing house was located at 26 Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, London, EC.-Pictorial publisher:...
in obtaining passage of a law enacted by Parliament securing copyrights for artists. He was a governor of the Foundling Hospital. In 1755 he was among those who attempted to form a royal academy for the arts, but he did not live to see it established.
Pine collaborated with surveyor John Rocque on the first detailed map of London, published in 1747.
Legacy
Pine’s achievements were recognized in 1743, when he became Engraver of His Majesty’s Signet and Seals, and subsequently with the Bluemantle PursuivantBluemantle Pursuivant
Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary is a junior officer of arms of the College of Arms in London. The office is reputed to have been created by King Henry V to serve the Order of the Garter, but there is no documentary evidence of this. There is, however, mention of an officer styled...
of Arms in Ordinary.
His son, Robert Edge Pine
Robert Edge Pine
Robert Edge Pine was an English portrait and historical painter, born in London. He was the son of John Pine, the engraver, and probably his pupil....
(1730–1788), became a notable portrait painter of the late eighteenth century in both England and America. He painted George II
George II
George II may refer to:* George II of Abkhazia * George II of Georgia * Yuri II of Vladimir or George II * George II of Bulgaria * George II of Kakheti * George II of Imereti...
and the famous actor David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
before emigrating to America where he painted Washington and other figures of the Revolutionary Era. Another son, Simon, became a miniature painter in Bath. Pine’s daughter, Charlotte, married a painter and was painted by Hogarth.
Selected works
- Frontispiece, William Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, 1719 (collaboration with John Clark)
- Illustrations, Edward Ward's Nuptial Dialogues and Debates, 1722
- Frontispiece, Constitutions of the Free-Masons, 1723
- Illustrations, King George I at ceremonies restoring the Order of Bath, 1725
- Illustrations, Henry Pemberton’s View of Newton’s Philosophy, 1728
- Reproduction of “The Magna Carta,” 1731
- Frontispiece, "Some Account of the Design of the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of *Georgia in America," 1732
- Reproduction of tapestries in the House of Lords depicting “Destruction of the Spanish Armada,” 1739
- “Plan of London,” 1747, in 24 sheets (a collaboration with surveyor John Roque)
- “A View of the House of Commons,” 1749
- “Virgil,” containing the Bucolics and Georgics, 1753