Nicholas Blakey (died 20 November 1758) was an Irish-born draughtsman and engraver. He produced book illustrations, and designed early examples of scenes from English history.

Life

Blakey's early life is not known; born in Ireland, he is known to be studying in Paris in 1747. He developed a late

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style. He was a designer and sometimes engraver of book illustrations, collaborating with others including

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and

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. His earliest published designs appear in

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's ''Tables of the Skeleton and Muscles of the Human Body'' (1749). Working with the painter

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, he designed and engraved plates for an edition of

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's works (1751), and for

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's ''An Historical Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea'' (1753). Also with Francis Hayman he contributed to a set of prints, published as ''English History Delineated'' (1750–52); these were commissioned in 1750 by the publishers John and Paul Knapton and

Robert Dodsley Robert Dodsley (13 February 1703 – 23 September 1764) was an English bookseller, publisher, poet, playwright, and miscellaneous writer. Life Dodsley was born near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, where his father was master of the free school. H ...

. These large-scale scenes were a notable early example of illustrations of important moments in English history. Blakey was the designer of "The Landing of Julius Caesar", "Vortigern and Rowena" and "Alfred in the Island of Athelney, receiving News of a Victory over the Danes".Page 294–295
Michael Lapidge, Malcolm Godden and Simon Keynes, ''Anglo-Saxon England''. Cambridge University Press, 2000. Blakey died in Paris in 1758, survived by his wife Elizabeth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blakey, Nicholas 1758 deaths 18th-century Irish engravers