WEST, Benjamin, artist, born near Springfield, Chester County, Pennsylvania 10 October, 1738; died in London, England, 11 March, 1820. It is said that before the age of seven he made a pen-and-ink sketch of his sister sleeping in a cradle, and his first attempts in color were made with the red and yellow earths that were given him by friendly Indians, and the blue of his mother's indigo-pot, with brushes of his own manufacture. A friend, whose attention had been attracted by the boy's attempts, sent him a box of paints and several engravings. These were the first implements or works of art the boy had seen. Soon afterward he received some aid and instruction from William Williams, a painter in Philadelphia. At Lancaster he made his first attempts in portraiture, and even tried his hand at painting a picture of the death of Socrates for William Henry, a gunsmith, He established himself as a portrait-painter in Philadelphia in 1756, and two years later went to New York. In 1760 he visited Rome, Italy, furnished with letters to Cardinal Albani and other persons. He soon became the lion of the day, was well received by Pompeio Battoni and Antonio Raffaele Mengs, and studied in Italy until 1763. There he painted his pictures of " Cimon and Iphigenia," and " Angelica and Medora." From Italy he went to London, where he opened a studio, and where, two years later, he married Elizabeth Shewell. At the time of his arrival there, England had no historical painter of note, and his works soon attracted attention. But there were at first no purchasers, as it was not fashionable to buy any but "old masters." He painted at this time "The Parting of Hector and Andremache" and "Return of the Prodigal Son." ', Agrippina landing with the Ashes of Germanicus" was painted for Dr. Drummond, archbishop of York, who presented the artist to King George III. His majesty, well pleased with the painting, ordered another, "The Departure of Regulus from Rome." These paintings won for West royal patronage and favor, which he long enjoyed. Among the paintings that he subsequently executed by order of the king were "The Death of General Wolfe," "Death of Epaminondas," and "Death of Chevalier Bayard" (1771); "Cyrus liberating the Family of the King of Armenia." ; "Segestes and his Daughter brought before Germanicus "; " Edward III. embracing his Son on the Field of Battle at Cressy"; "The Installation of the Order of the Garter";" The Black Prince receiving the King of France and his Son Prisoners at Poictiers"; " St. George vanquishing the Dragon"; " Queen Philippa defeating David of Scotland in the Battle of Neville's Cross ";"Queen Philippa interceding with Edward for the Burgesses of Calais" ; "King Edward forcing the Passage of the Somme "; and "King Edward crowning Sir Eustace de Ribaument at Calais." He was one of the founders, in 1768, of the Royal academy, and in 1792 succeeded Sir Joshua. Reynolds as president of that institution, which post he held almost uninterruptedly till 1815. In his painting of the death of Wolfe, West had the courage to repudiate the traditions of the classical school, in abandoning classic costume, and clothing his characters in the dress of their time. It is said that on the completion of the picture, Reynolds, who before had attempted to dissuade him from his purpose, acknowledged his success, and said to the archbishop of York" " West has conquered" he has treated his subject as it ought to be treated; I retract my objections. I foresee that this picture will not only become one of the most popular, but will occasion a revolution in art." The work was purchased by Lord Grosvenor West projected in 1780 a series of pictures on the progress of revealed religion, divided into four dispensations-the Antediluvian, the Patriarchal, the Mosaical, and the Prophetical. Twenty-eight of the proposed thirty-six subjects were executed, but the mental disease that fell upon the king gave West's enemies an opportunity, and he was ordered to suspend work on the series, and ceased to be painter to the king. Undaunted, he again began a series of works. The first was " Christ healing the Sick" (1802), which was painted for the Pennsylvania hospital in Philadelphia, but bought by the British institution for £3,000. A copy, with some alterations, was afterward presented to the hospital. This was followed by the " Descent of the Holy Ghost on Christ at Jordan," " The Crucifixion," " The Ascension," " The Inspiration of St. Peter," and the famous "Death oil the Pale Horse." Among his other important works are " The Treaty of Penn," the celebrated " Battle of La Hogue," "Christ Rejected," and various illustrations of Shakespearean scenes. The works from his hand that are owned in the United States include "Death on the Pale Horse" and "Paul and Barnabas," in possession of the Pennsylvania academy; " Penn's Treaty with the Indians," in Independence hall, Philadelphia; some classical subjects and a portrait of Charles W. Peale, owned by the New York historical society, and " King Lear," belonging to the Boston athenaeum. In 1817 his wife died, and from that moment his strength began to fail. With mental faculties unimpaired, he died quietly on 11 March, 1820. He was buried in St. Paul's cathedral. In the 400 historical and sacred subjects that he planted, and of which many have been engraved, West showed skill in composition and a profound theoretical knowledge of art. But the monotonous reddish-brown tint in his works has been objected to, and it seems undoubted that at times he had the courage to attempt subjects which it would have been almost beyond the power of artists of greater genius to delineate. Yet, as one critic has said, "men should be judged not absolutely, but relatively," and West, though not entirely free from the conventionalities of his time, had at least the courage to protest against some of the prevailing ideas and fashions in art. As a man he was benevolent, kind, and liberal in imparting his knowledge to others. No painter has shown more kindness in aiding the struggling young artists of his native land. Charles W. Peale, Gilbert Stuart, Joseph Wright, and John Trumbull were among those young students that sought West when they went to Europe, and all received the same hearty welcome and generous advice from him. Several portraits of West have been made. Sir Thomas Lawrence painted a full-length portrait of West. A copy of this, by Charles R. Leslie, and a portrait by Washington Allston, are owned by the Boston athenaeum. He also executed one himself. The vignette is from a painting by George H. Harlow, an English artist, and is perhaps the best of all West's portraits. A life of West was written by John Galt (London, 1820), which was severely criticise by William Dunlap. Numerous articles on West have been published, and interesting accounts of his life and criticisms on his works may be found in William Dunlap's " History" (New York, 1834); C. Edwards Lester's "Artists of America" (1846) ; and Henry T. Tuckerman's " Book of the Artists" (1867).