Governor Pitt’s House (late Secretary Johnson’s) at Twickenham

Location

Country: Senegal
City: Dakar
Place: British Embassy

German chaser, draughtsman and etcher of topographical views Augustin Heckel was born in Augsburg; the son of a chaser, who worked in gold and silver. (Chasers form designs by pressing into metal.) He too worked as a chaser in many of the major cities of Germany, enjoying success in that profession, before travelling to Paris and then moving to England. He also produced topographical views in watercolour, some of which were issued by publishers Thomas Bowles and Robert Sayer, including eight small plates of Richmond and its environs. He died at Richmond in 1770. His sister is also known to have engraved bible illustrations.
Nothing is known about the early life of the landscape engraver James Mason. He is first mentioned by engraver and antiquary George Vertue, working for the publisher Arthur Pond in 1744, when he was probably in his early twenties. Mason later established himself as a popular engraver, co-publishing some of his own works. He produced several engravings after paintings by landscape and scene painter George Lambert, the majority of which are dated between 1745 and 1761. Mason engraved considerably less after 1780. He died in 1805 at his home in Winchester Row, Paddington, and was buried nearby at St Mary’s Church. He referred to himself as engraver and shopkeeper in his will, which suggests that he also ran a print shop.

Places

England, Middlesex

Subjects

rowing boat, topography, tree, river bank, river, man, fence, country house/mansion, sailboat

Materials & Techniques

engraving, coloured engraving

Artist

Augustin Heckel (c.1690 - 1770)
James Mason (1710 - c.1780)

Title

Governor Pitt’s House (late Secretary Johnson’s) at Twickenham

Date

Medium

Coloured engraving

Acquisition

Purchased from Parker Gallery, March 1973

GAC number

10130