William Byrne (engraver)

William Byrne, an engraver, was born in London in 1743. He is the father of John Byrne. After studying some time under his uncle, an artist little known, he went to Paris, where he became a pupil of Aliamet, and afterwards of Wille. He died in London in 1805, and was buried in Old St. Pancras churchyard. Byrne may be justly ranked among our eminent engravers of landscape. His works are considerable; the following are the most deserving of notice:

• Villa Madama: after R. Wilson (Society of Arts medal, 1765).
• Antiquities of Britain; from drawings by Thos. Hearne.
• Views of the Lakes of Cumberland and Westmoreland; after Farrington.
• Scenery of Italy; after the fine designs of Francis Smith.
• Apollo watching the Flocks of King Admetus; after Filippo Lauri; the companion to Woollett's print of Diana and Actaeon.
• The Flight into Egypt; a landscape; after Domenichino.
• Evening; a landscape; after Claude Lorrain.
• Abraham and Lot quitting Egypt; after Zuccarelli; the figures by Bartolozzi.
• A Sea-piece; after Vernet.
• Evening; after Both; the landscape by Byrne, the figures by Bartolozzi.
• Two Views of Leuben, in Saxony; after Dietrich.
• The Death of Captain Cook; the figures by Bartolozzi.
• The Falls of Niagara; after R. Wilson.

References

This article incorporates text from the article "BYRNE, William" in Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers by Michael Bryan, edited by Robert Edmund Graves and Sir Walter Armstrong, an 1886–1889 publication now in the public domain.