Page:Dictionary of Artists of the English School (1878).djvu/515

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he was both the founder and architect, 138J-86, and this was followed by St. Mary's College, Winchester. When in his 70th year, he began his great work ; the restoration of his own cathedral, which it is said, with the assistance of William Wynford, he completed after ten years. He died September 27, 14J4. His works would prove him to have been one of our greatest architects, and they are attributed to him by undisputed tradition. His large educational foundations were established by his own munificence. His life by Bishop Lowth was published in 1753.

WYNDE, Captain William, architect. Was born at Bergen-op-Zoom, held a com- mission in the I)utch army, and was a learned and ingenious man. He is said to have been a pupil of Gerbier, and also to have studied under Webb, and to have been executor to Inigo Jones. He designed Clief- den, burnt down 1795 ; Newcastle House, Lincoln's Inn Fields, now tenanted by the Society for Promoting Christiau Knowledge ; Buckingham House, St. James's Park, 1703, not a portion of which probably now re- mains; Coombe Abbey, for Lord Craven, for whom he also finished Hempstead Mar- shal, planned by Gerbier, and destroyed by fire 1718. Several of his designs for these mansions were included in a sale of his son's effects, 1741.

WYNFORD, William, architect He is the reputed builder of the nave of Win- chester Cathedral, 1394, and is said to have assisted Bishop Wykeham in his other architectural works.

WYON, Thomas, medallist. Was born in 1792 at Birmingham. He was educated in London, and was apprenticed to his father, who was engraver of his Majesty's seals. He entered the Royal Academy schools, where he gained the silver medal both in the antique and the life school; also the premiums of the Society of Arts, and engraved for that body the head of Isis, used as their prize medal. He also executed several medals and tokens which

Sained him notice, and eventually led to is appointment, in 1811, as Probationary Engraver to the Royal Mint. Soon after, he engraved his medal to commemorate the Peace, which at once proved his powers and established his reputation. Commis- sions followed rapidly, and his Manchester Pitt medal— * Pitt arousing the Genius of Britain,' which comprised 13 figures— raised him to the front rank in his profession, and in 1815 he received the appointment of Chief Engraver to the Mint. In the midst of his success his health was the subject of much solicitude to his friends. He was visibly declining, and sent by his medical advisers to Hastings, he died there, Septem- ber 22, 1817, in his 25th year. Had he lived, he promised to equal the greatest of 494

his predecessors. A memoir of him. with a list of his chief works, will be found in the Gentleman's Magazine,' for February, 1818.

WYON, Benjamin, seal-engraver. Was born in London, January 9, 1802, younger brother of the above, under whom he studied. He succeeded his father as en- graver of his Majesty's seals, and engraved the great seal of William IV. He was a frequent contributor to the exhibitions^ at the Royal Academy. He died November 21. 183$.

W YON, Joseph Shepherd, medallist and seal-en j raver. Son of the above, was bom in 1836*. He was a studeut of the Royal Academy, and obtained two silver medals. His first work of importance was a medal of James Watt. He subsequently engraved the great seal of England now in use, a medal commemorating the passage of the Princess of Wales through London, for the Corporation, and the great seal of Canada. He was appointed cnief engraver of her Majesty's seals on the death of his father in 1858, and received from the Sultan the Order of the Medije. He died at Winchester, August 12, 1873.

WYON, William, R. A., medallist. Was born in 1795, at Birmingham, where his grandfather, of German origin, was a silver engraver, and his father, to whom he was apprenticed in 1809, a die-sinker. He was cousin to the two above-mentioned artists, and moved by the success of Thomas Wyon, he came up to London, and applying him- self to the study of Flaxman's works, gained the Society of Arts' gold medal for his copy of the head of Ceres. This success was followed by the award of a second gold medal by the Society for his original group of * Victory in a Marine Car drawn by Tritons.' In 1816 he settled in London as assistant to his uncle, Thomas Wyon, in engraving the public seals, aud in the fol- lowing year entered the schools of the Royal Academy. At the same time he gained, in open competition, on the award of Sir Thomas Lawrence, the appointment of second engraver to the Royal Mint, thus becoming the assistant to Ids cousin Thomas.

On the early death of the latter, Signor Pistrucci succeeded to the chief office, and Wyon, holding the office of assistant under many official rivalries and difficulties, claimed to have executed the principal part of the work. In 1822 Siffnor Pistrucci's services were discontinued, but he con- tinued to receive the salary till 1828, when the chief's salary was divided between the two officers, in order to get rid of the jealousies which existed, and Wyon then took the title of Chief Engraver, to which his labours had so long entitled nim. He soon after gained Academy honours. He