Edward Byng (''ca.'' 1676 – 1753), sometimes spelt Bing, was an English portrait artist. Thought to be a native of

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, Byng trained as an artist and became an assistant to

Godfrey Kneller Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723) was a German-born British painter. The leading Portrait painting, portraitist in England during the late Stuart period, Stuart and early Georgian eras ...

about 1693. Another pupil of Kneller, Robert Byng (''fl.'' 1697–1720) was his brother. At the time of Kneller's death in 1723 Byng was his chief assistant and lived with him at a house in

Great Queen Street Great Queen Street is a street in the West End of central London in England. It is a continuation of Long Acre from Drury Lane to Kingsway. It runs from 1 to 44 along the north side, east to west, and 45 to about 80 along the south side, wes ...

. Kneller's will recorded that Byng had "for many years faithfully served me", gave him a pension of £100 a year and entrusted him with seeing that Kneller's unfinished work was completed, for which he would receive the outstanding payments. Byng also inherited drawings in Kneller's studio, many now in the British Museum. He later lived at

Potterne Potterne is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. The village is south of Devizes and lies on the A360 which links Devizes to Salisbury. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Potterne Wick. History There is evide ...

, near

Devizes Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-cent ...

, where he died in 1753Edward Byng
at britishmuseum.org, accessed 24 November 2012 and was buried.''Notes & queries for Somerset and Dorset'', vol. 11 (1909), p. 85 The

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

holds a large collection of Byng's sketchbooks and drawings. Like John James Backer he was a

drapery painter A drapery painter refers to a specialist painter commissioned to complete the dress, costumes and other accessories worn by the subjects of portrait paintings. They were employed by portrait painters with a large workshop in 18th century England.

for Kneller.

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* * 1670s births 1753 deaths English portrait painters 17th-century English painters English male painters 18th-century English painters Drapery painters 18th-century English male artists {{England-painter-17thC-stub