Samuel Cousins. Samuel Cousins was an English mezzotint engraver.
Cousins was born at Exeter. In 1855 he was elected a full member of the Royal Academy, to which he later gave in trust E15,000 to provide annuities for superannuated artists.
One of the most important figures in the history of British engraving, he died in London, unmarried, in 1887. Cousins was preeminently the interpreter of Sir Thomas Lawrence, his contemporary.
During his apprenticeship to Samuel William Reynolds he engraved many of the best amongst the three hundred and sixty little mezzotints illustrating the works of Sir Joshua Reynolds which his master issued in his own name. In the finest of his numerous transcripts of Lawrence, such as Lady Acland and her Sons, Pope Pius VII and Master Lambton, the distinguishing characteristics of the engravers work, brilliancy and force of effect in a high key, corresponded exactly with similar qualities in the painter.
After the introduction of steel for engraving purposes about the year 1823, Cousins and his contemporaries were compelled to work on it, because the soft copper previously used for mezzotint plates did not yield a sufficient number of fine impressions to enable the method to compete commercially against line engraving, from which much larger editions were obtainable. The painterly quality which distinguished the 18th-century mezzotints on copper was wanting in his lat
Cousins was born at Exeter. In 1855 he was elected a full member of the Royal Academy, to which he later gave in trust E15,000 to provide annuities for superannuated artists.
One of the most important figures in the history of British engraving, he died in London, unmarried, in 1887. Cousins was preeminently the interpreter of Sir Thomas Lawrence, his contemporary.
During his apprenticeship to Samuel William Reynolds he engraved many of the best amongst the three hundred and sixty little mezzotints illustrating the works of Sir Joshua Reynolds which his master issued in his own name. In the finest of his numerous transcripts of Lawrence, such as Lady Acland and her Sons, Pope Pius VII and Master Lambton, the distinguishing characteristics of the engravers work, brilliancy and force of effect in a high key, corresponded exactly with similar qualities in the painter.
After the introduction of steel for engraving purposes about the year 1823, Cousins and his contemporaries were compelled to work on it, because the soft copper previously used for mezzotint plates did not yield a sufficient number of fine impressions to enable the method to compete commercially against line engraving, from which much larger editions were obtainable. The painterly quality which distinguished the 18th-century mezzotints on copper was wanting in his lat
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