viii. Introduction 



ceilings, over-mantels, monumental tablets and the like. 

 Under these circumstances it is not wonderful that con- 

 temporary records should be silent concerning their lives 

 and works, and that we can in many cases only follow 

 the career of an old painter by his pictures : more often 

 by the engravings therefrom, for original works now 

 existing are few and are rarely heard of. 



Many dictionaries of Art have been published since 

 the first edition of Mathew Pilkington's Gentleman s and 

 Connoisseur's Dictionary of Painters appeared in 1770. 

 These are rich in information concerning foreign artists 

 whether they passed their lives in their own countries 

 or sought a home in England ; but only too often — and 

 the fact is eloquent of the little esteem in which English 

 Art was held a century and a half ago — they are silent 

 concerning even the names of British painters who are 

 not less worthy of notice. 



A definite line may be drawn between English Art 

 before the year 1750 and English Art subsequent to that 

 date. During the former period the arts were at as low 

 an ebb as they well could be ; and from about the middle 

 of the eighteenth century the progress was sudden and 

 remarkable. 



In little more than half a century were born several 

 of the greatest painters England has known. We had 

 Sir Joshua Reynolds born in 1723, George Stubbs born 

 1724, Thomas Gainsborough born 1729, George Barrett 

 born 1732, George Romney born 1734, Joseph Wright, 

 of Derby, born 1734, Sir Harry Raeburn born 1756, 

 George Morland born 1764, John Crome (founder of 

 the Norwich school) born 1769, J. M. W. Turner born 

 1775, John Constable born 1776, and many others. The 

 foundation of the Royal Academy in the year 176S 

 marks an era in the history of British Art ; yet Horace 

 Walpole writing fourteen years later says, " Painting 



