William Baillie facts for kids

Captain William Baillie (born June 5, 1723 – died December 22, 1810) was an Irish military officer and a talented artist. He is best known for his amazing skill in working with old art plates.

Who Was William Baillie?

William Baillie was born in Ireland in 1723. When he was 18, he moved to London to study law. However, he soon discovered he loved art much more than law.

Baillie's Military Career

Not long after arriving in London, Baillie decided to join the army. He fought in important battles like the Battle of Culloden and the Battle of Minden. He served bravely and eventually retired from the army with the rank of Captain.

After his military career, Baillie took on a different kind of job. He became a "Commissioner of Stamps." This meant he was in charge of official government stamps used on documents, which was an important role at the time. He held this position until 1795.

Baillie's Artistic Legacy

Even while working as a Commissioner, William Baillie continued his passion for art. He became especially famous for his unique ability to fix and print from old etching plates. Etching plates are metal sheets that artists use to create prints. Over time, these plates can get worn out or damaged.

Baillie worked on plates created by many famous artists. These included Gerard Dou and Nicolas Poussin. But his most notable work was with the plates of the very famous Dutch artist, Rembrandt.

Working with Rembrandt's Plates

It seems William Baillie managed to get his hands on several of Rembrandt's old, worn-out etching plates. He then used his skills to bring them back to life or create new prints from them. Here are three of his most famous projects involving Rembrandt's plates:

• The Goldweigher: Baillie did an excellent job fixing this plate. The new prints he made from it were so good that many people thought they were just as high quality as the ones Rembrandt himself had made.
• The Hundred Guilder Print (Christ Preaching): For this plate, Baillie made some changes that were not very popular. He then cut the plate into smaller pieces and sold each piece separately. This was an unusual thing to do.
• The Three Trees: The bottom part of this etching plate had been damaged. Baillie carefully recreated the missing section by looking at an old print of the original artwork. While his work was good, some art experts felt it didn't quite capture the same feeling as Rembrandt's original.

In 1792, a book featuring prints made by Baillie, including those after Rembrandt and other artists, was published. It was so popular that new versions were printed later on.