Isaac Becket Paintings

Isaac Becket was an English mezzotint engraver, born in 1653. He is considered one of the early practitioners of the mezzotint process in England, a technique that was relatively new at the time and allowed for the creation of prints with a wide range of tones. This made it particularly suitable for reproducing the tonal subtleties of paintings. Becket was a contemporary of Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who was credited with bringing the mezzotint technique to England, and of John Smith, another notable engraver of the period.

Becket initially trained as a goldsmith, but his career took a significant turn when he apprenticed with the Wallerant Vaillant, a Dutch mezzotint engraver who had settled in London. Under Vaillant's guidance, Becket perfected his skills in the mezzotint technique. After his apprenticeship, Becket set up his own print-publishing business and became one of the leading mezzotint engravers of his day. His work involved producing prints after the works of contemporary portrait painters, which were highly sought after by the burgeoning middle class eager to own affordable reproductions of artworks.

During his career, Becket was responsible for a number of innovations in the mezzotint process. His contributions helped to popularize the medium and brought him a considerable degree of success and recognition during his lifetime. Becket's prints were known for their high quality and were collected widely, which contributed to the spread of the mezzotint technique throughout England and eventually to the rest of Europe.

Isaac Becket's death occurred in 1719. Despite the popularity of his works during his life, his name is not as widely recognized today as that of some of his contemporaries. Nevertheless, his contributions to the art of mezzotint engraving and his role in the development and spread of the technique are significant in the history of printmaking. His works are held in various collections and are studied by those with an interest in the early history of printmaking and the mezzotint process.