LEW
'LIL
1827, his ' Scenery of the Exe.' Almost his last large work was from the drawings by Claude in the British Museum, com- prising 100 plates. He held the appoint- ment of engraver to the Princess Charlotte ; to Leopold, King of the Belgians ; to George IV.. William IV., and Queen Victoria. He died at Enfield, December 18, 1856. Two of his sons are distinguished in art, one a member of the Royal Academy, the other eminent as an engraver.
LEWIS, William. Brother of the above. He held some office in the Car- penters' Company, and from 1815 to 1838 was an exhibitor at the Royal Academy of landscapes and cottage scenes in oil and water-colours.
LEWIS, John Frederick, 1&. A., figure painter. Was born in London, July 14 ? 1805, and was the eldest son of F. C. Lewis, the engraver, under whom he studied the ele- ments of his art. His first efforts were devoted to animal painting, and he exhi- bited at the British Institution as early as 1820, and at the Royal Academy in 1821,
- Puppies, a study from Nature/ There is,
in the Royal Collections, a portrait by him of ' Old Clark of the Sandpit gate,' in which deer are introduced, a very early work. In 1825 he published a collection of etchings. He early turned his attention to water- colours, and was elected an associate of the Society of Painters in Water-Colours in
1828. In pursuit of his art he visited Italy and Spain, where he remained nearly two years, returning in 1835. His visit pro- duced a series of pictures painted in water- colours, in a large and bold manner, rich in colour, and varied in character, the picturesque costume of Spain contributing
Sreatly to their attractions, and the ind- ents of the Civil War providing him with interesting subjects, such as ' A Christian Spy brought before Zama/ &c. In 1836 he published ' Sketches in Spain/ lithographed on stone, which was very successful. He again visited Italy in 1838, and painted a lar^e picture of * Easter Day in Rome,' ex- hibited in 1841. In 1843 he went to Cairo, and remained in the East until 1851, in which year he married and settled at Walton -on -Thames. While in Cairo he completed a picture of the ' Interior of a Harem/ a work of most elaborate and minute finish, great purity of colour, and careful and learned drawing. It was selected for exhibition at the first Paris Inter- national Exhibition in 1856. Numerous Eastern subjects followed, his manner being much changed from his earlier Spanish pictures, much more minute in detail, and brighter in colour. He became President of the Society of Painters in Water-Colours in 1857, and was also elected an honorary member of the Scottish Aca- demy. He recommenced painting in oil
about 1854, and in 1858 was elected an associate of the Royal Academy, and a full member in 1865. His failing health caused him to withdraw on to the retired list in the Spring of 1876, but he did not long enjoy repose, he died at Walton, August 15, 1876.
LEWIS, F. C, brother of the above, resided in India for many years, ana painted the large pictures of the Durbars, Nautches, &c. ? held there, and which were engraved by his brother, Charles C. Lewis.
LE YLAND, Joseph Bentley, sculptor. He was the son of a well-known naturalist at Halifax, where he was born March 31, 1811. He showed a talent for modelling, and exhibited at Manchester a greyhound and a colossal statue of 'Spartacus.' In 1843 he sent to London for exhibition a colossal head of * Satan;' and soon after came to reside in the Metropolis, and studied under B. R. Haydon. He next produced the 'Sinless Maiden' from Hogg's 'Queen's Wake/ which was purchased by the Literary Society of Halifax. His latest works were a statue of Dr. Beckwith, of York, and an ' Anglo-Saxon Chief.' He does not appear to have been an exhibitor at the Royal Academy ; but in 1834, and again in 1839, he sent a group of hounds, modelled from life, to the Suffolk Street Galleries. He died at Halifax in his 40th year, January 26, 1851.
LI ART, Matthew, engraver. Was born about 1736, in Compton Street, London (not. as is usually said, in Paris). He was of French extraction, but both his grand- father and his father were shopkeepers in Soho. In 1764 he received a premium from the Society of Arts. He was the pupil of Ravenet, and a student in the schools of the Society of Artists and of the Royal Academy, gaining the silver medal in the life school of the latter. He engraved after the old masters, but his two best works are the 'Venus and Adonis' and 'Cephalus and Procris/ after West. He died about the year 1782, and was buried at Pad- dington.
LIGHTFOOT, William, engraver and draftsman. Practised in the latter half of the 17th century. He was a good perspec- tive draftsman, and painted some landscapes in oil. Wren employed him in the decora- tions for the Royal Exchange. He also engraved some plates ; and Evelyn, in his ' Sculptura/ speaks of his special talent for this art. He died 1671.
LILLY, Henry, limner. In James I.'s reign he was rouge dragon and pursui- vant of the College of Arms, and possessed great skill in limning and illuminating. He completed a fine genealogy of the Howard family, enriched with portraits, armorial bearings, and tasteful compositions. Died 1638.
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