Page:Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers, volume 1.djvu/558

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A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF


for some time under the false imputation of having first seen Blake's design for that subject, and then induced Stothard to draw it for him as a speculation i'. engraving. Among Cromek's works may be men- tioned the illustrations to Blair's ' Grave ' ; those in ' The Reliques of Robert Burns,' published in 1808 ; and those in ' The Remains of Nithsdale and Gallowa}' Song,' published in 1810; also the plates in Gesner's works, after Stothard, and the plates in Sharpe's edition of 'The Spectator.' He died in London in 1812.

CROMEK, Thomas Hartley, the son of Robert H. Croniek, was born in London in 1809. His first instructor in art was James Hunter, a portrait painter at Wakefield ; but in 1826 be went to Leeds, and there studied landscape painting under Joseph Rhodes, an artist of considerable abilitj-, and also instructed himself in anatomical drawing. In 1830 he decided to go to Italy for the purpo.se of perfecting himself by the study of the great masters. He passed through Belgium, the Rhine countrj', Switzerland, and Florence, and at length reached Rome, where he soon attracted attention by the excellence of his drawings and his careful colouring. From 1831 until 1849, with the exception of two short visits to England, Cromek passed Ills time in visiting and making drawings of the principal buildings and the picturesque scenery of Italy and Greece. In 1850 he was unanimously elected an Associate of the New Society of Painters in Water-Colours, when he retired to Wakefield, where he died, after a long and painful illness, in 1873. His drawings, which are chiefly to be found in the royal and private collections, are much esteemed for the beauty of their colouring and tlieir truthfulness to nature.

CROMER, GiDLlo, a pupil of Mona, was bom in Silesia before 1570, and died at Ferrara in 1632. In the latter city he painted 'The Preaching of St. Andrew,' for the church dedicated to that saint ; also ' The Calling of SS. Peter and Andrew.'

CRONE, Robert, was born in Dublin about the middle of the last century, and received his early in- struction from Robert Hunter, the portrait painter ; but he soon left that branch of the profession, and commenced painting landscapes, in which he achieved considerable success. He afterivards went to Rome and studied under Richard Wilson. From 1772 until 1778 he annually exhibited at the Royal Academy, although much hindered and tried by ill-health superinduced by frequent epileptic fits. His first exhibited pictures were two landscapes called ' Morning ' and ' Evening.' Crone likewise exhibited drawings, some of which were finished after Richard Wilson's style in black and white chalk on a bluish-grey paper. His landscapes are now very scarce and much sought after ; a few examples are in the Royal Collection. He died in London in 1779.

CRONENBURG, (or Cbonenburch,) Anna van, a Dutch painter, was born at Pietersbieruni in 1552. She married Jan Craen, and secondly, in 1579, Jelle Sybes van Wythnma, burgomaster of Leeuwarden. Four female portraits by her are in the Madrid Museum.

CRONSTADT, Jacob Lucius von. See Corona.

CROOCK, Hubert de. See De Croock.

CROOS, Jacobus van, a Dutch landscape painter, flourished in the latter part of the 17th century. There is in the town-hall of the Hague a 'View of the Hague,' painted by liini in 1666.

CROOST, Antonie van dee. See Van deb Croost.

CROSS, John, the son of the superintendent ot a lace factory at Tiverton, was born in that town in 1819. Soon afterwards his father went to St. Quentin, as superintendent of an English factory, and young Cross was admitted into the School of Design, and there showed so much ability that he was sent to Paris, where he entered the atelier of Picot, a painter of some celebrity in the old classic school. In 1843 Cross sent to the competition for the decoration of the Houses of Parliament, held in Westminster Hall, a cartoon of ' The Assassination of Thomas a Becket,' which, from not fully com- plying with the terms of the competition, was not successful. His second attempt in 1847, with the oil-painting of ' The Clemency of Coeur-de-Lion,' gained for him the first premium of £300, and was afterwards purchased by the royal commissioners for £1000. In 1850 he first exhibited at the Royal Academy, his subject being 'The Burial of the Young Princes in the Tower.' This was followed by 'Edward the Confessor leaving his Crown to Harold,' in 1861 ; ' The Death of Thomas a Becket,' in 1853 ; ' Lucy Preston's Petition,' ia 1856 : and ' The Coronation of William the Conqueror,' in 1859 ; but none of Cross's later productions equalled his first effort, for they were all deficient alike in drawing, colour, and execution. His death occurred in London in 1861, after which his friends bought his 'Assassination of Thomas i Becket,' and placed it in Canterbury Cathedral.

CROSS, Michael, was a painter employed by Charles I. to copy some of the fine pictures in Italy, and who is said to have contrived to abstract a ' Madonna ' by Raphael from the church of St Mark, at Venice, and instead thereof to leave his copy. The picture was sold with the rest of the Royal Collection, and is said to have been pur- chased by the Spanish Ambassador, together with the ' Twelve Csesars ' by Titian, for the King of Spain. Charles certainly knew nothing of the theft ; nor can it be supposed that he mistook the original for a copy.

CROSS, Thomas, was an English engraver, who flourished from about 1645 to 1685. He was chiefly employed in producing portraits and plates for the booksellers, mostly from his own designs. We have by him, among others, the following portraits :

King Richard III. Francis Bacou, Viscount St. Alban's. Sir Robert Cotton Bruce, Bart. Joseph Hall, Bishop of Exeter. George 'Webbe, Bishop of Limerick. Richard Cromwell.

CROSSE, Lewis, was a celebrated miniature painter in the time of Queen Anne, who enjoyed the patronage of the most distinguished personages of that period. He also highly excelled in painting copies in water-colours from the old masters. He is said to have succeeded so admirably in a portrait of 'Mary, Queen of Scots,' painted by him for the Duke of Hamilton, who wished him to make it as handsome as he could, that for many years it was considered to be a painting of the 16th cen- tury, and on that account many times copied. He formed a valuable collection of early miniatures and drawings, which he sold in 1722. He died in 1724.

CROSSE, Richard, a miniature painter, was born in Devonshire in 1745. He was a member of the

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