Calvert, Edward (1799 - 1883)
British printmaker and painter Edward Calvert was born on the 22nd of September 1799 in Appledore, Devon. After a period of service in the navy, Calvert decided to dedicate himself to art, first studying at Plymouth before moving to London and joining the Royal Academy Schools in 1824.
Calvert was a great admirer of William Blake, and along with Samuel Palmer and George Richmond was a principle member of the Brotherhood of the Ancients. The Ancients congregated at the home of William Blake, ‘the House of the Interpreter’, as well as at Palmer’s home in Shoreham, Kent. They were united by a common admiration for Blake and Virgil and together shared an archaic vision of a golden age of pastoral innocence and abundance.
Calvert produced 11 prints between 1827 and 1831, the culmination of which is acknowledged to be the exquisite ‘Chamber Idyll’.