Samuel Dixon & Isaac Spackman: Group of Irish George II ‘Basso Relievo’ Birds
£12,400
Samuel Dixon (Irish, fl. 1748-1769):
Originally from Dublin, Dixon is believed to have studied at the Dublin Society’s drawing school under the direction of Robert West before specialising in the depiction of birds and flowers. He used an original technique known as ‘basso relievo’, which involved embossing or ‘stamping’ certain parts of the image using copper plates, before painting them in gouache. These works had a dual purpose being not only decorative but also educational, serving as models for art enthusiasts and embroiders in 18th-century Irish and English society.
The first series of basso relievo by Samuel Dixon consisted of of twelve floral compositions, and was completed in 1748. It was advertised in April of the same year in Faulkner’s Dublin Journal, where the nobility and bourgeoisie were invited to acquire these pictures ‘not only ornamental for ladies’ chambers, but also useful for painting, drawing or imitating in shell work or embroidery’. The success of this first series prompted Dixon to conceive a second, this time devoted to exotic birds. This collection, also comprising twelve pieces but of a larger format, was mentioned in the journal on two occasions – in April 1749 and January 1750 – as being in the process of completion. The depictions of the birds and the comments on Dixon’s dedication labels were directly inspired by the first four volumes of George Edwards’s Natural History of Uncommon Birds, published between 1743 and 1751.
A third series dedicated to birds was begun in 1753 and announced as “entirely finished” in Faulkner’s Dublin Journal of 9 September 1755. In the same article, Dixon declared his intention to travel abroad and announced the sale of all his works, with the exception of this very last series. In the end, his paintings and possessions were dispersed at auction in early 1756.
The English naturalist George Edwards (1694–1773) is best known for his seminal ornithological series, collectively known as ‘A Natural History of Birds’. Illustrations from these seven volumes which were published and illustrated by Edwards over a 21-year period between 1743 and 1764 are thought to have influenced the output of Dixon.
