63 



BENJAMIN BLAKE. 



(Boru circii 1780.) 



IDENJAMIN BLAKE was born about the year 

 -*-^ 1780; concerning his parentage, birthplace, 

 and early life nothing can be ascertained. Though 

 not an animal painter in the e.xclusive sense of the 

 expression, his frequent choice of subjects pertain- 

 ing to field sports justifies notice of his works; 

 and to his works indeed our remarks must be 

 confined in the absence of any record of the 

 painter's life. 



Blake dealt with various subjects, showing a 

 preference for landscape ; but as he had few 

 private patrons and did most of his work for 

 dealers we may conjecture that in selecting sub- 

 jects for his brush he was influenced less by per- 

 sonal inclination than by the wishes of those who 

 commissioned pictures or purchased them. His 

 works display great ability and most careful execu- 

 tion ; the latter quality being one which is found 

 at its highest in the pictures of artists who paint 

 on a small scale. Blake was one of these ; his 

 paintings were most usually done on boards of 



