Green, Valentine

Green, Valentine (b Salford, nr. Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, 3 Oct. 1739; d London, 29 June 1813). English printmaker, chiefly in mezzotint. In 1765 he settled in London, where he became one of the leading engravers of the day. Initially he made his reputation with prints after history paintings by West, but he is now probably best remembered for his prints of female portraits by Reynolds. In 1779 he began a series of these issued under the title ‘Beauties of the Present Age’; there were originally six in the series, but they proved so popular that three more were added. However, in 1783 he quarrelled with Reynolds and this ended their association. In 1789 Green obtained a patent from the Elector of Bavaria to engrave and publish pictures in the Düsseldorf gallery, but this ambitious venture fell foul of warfare on the Continent, and Green, who had invested a good deal of money in it, had financial difficulties in his later years. In addition to his large output of engravings, he wrote a good deal on antiquarian and artistic topics, notably A Review of the Polite Arts in France…Compared with their Present State in England (1792).