{{Short description|English engraver}} [[File:The Royal Family by Bernard Lens (II).jpg|thumb|right|''The Royal Family'' of king William III, by Bernard Lens II]]
'''Bernard Lens II''' (1659–1725) was an English engraver, pioneer of mezzotint technique, and publisher.
Bernard Lens II was the son of Bernard Lens I, "an obscure painter"<ref name=S76>{{harvnb|Salaman|1906|p=76}}.</ref> of Dutch origin. Bernard Lens I practiced enamel technique and also authored religious treatises.<ref name=W154>{{harvnb|Worrall|2006|p=154}}.</ref>
The art of Bernard Lens II, largely confined to developing mezzotint technique is an example of a general trend of hist age, when "issues of ''tonality'', if not colour, were developing away from the etching's dependence on ''line''".<ref name=W154/> According to Malcolm Charles Salaman, "most attractive" of his portraits was that of Lady Mary Tudor.<ref name=S76/> Salaman noted Lens for his "practically unique"<ref name=S96>{{harvnb|Salaman|1917|p=96}}.</ref> insights into capabilities of mezzotint in rendering artificial light, evidenced by his series of ''Fireworks''.<ref name=S76/><ref name=S96/> These prints, commemorating the victories of the Williamite War in Ireland, were "the essential component of representational amplification in politics" of the period.<ref name=W153>{{harvnb|Worrall|2006|p=153}}.</ref>
Bernard Lens II was the father of better known miniaturist Bernard Lens III. Father and son collaborated on joint projects, for example during the 1710 tour of Native American chiefs to England. On the last day of their stay in London Bernard Lens III produced miniature portraits of the "Four Kings";{{sfn|Vaughan|2006|p=123}} Bernard Lens II copied these portraits in mezzotint, including a widely copied leaflet presenting all four portraits.{{sfn|Vaughan|2006|pp=123, 125}}
==References and notes== {{Reflist|2}}
==Sources== {{Commons category|Bernard Lens II}} * {{cite encyclopedia|last=Coombs|first=Katherine|date=2004|title=Lens [Laus] family|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_0198613830/page/380/mode/2up|encyclopedia=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|volume=33|editor-last=Matthew|editor-first=H. C. G.|editor-last2=Harrison|name-list-style=amp|editor-first2=Brian|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, New York|pages=380–382|isbn=0-19-861383-0|oclc=1035759110|via=the Internet Archive}} * {{Cite book|last=Salaman|first=Malcolm C.|author-link=Malcolm C. Salaman|date=1906|url=https://archive.org/details/oldengraversofen00salaiala/|title=The Old Engravers of England in Their Relation to Contemporary Life and Art (1540-1800)|location=London et al.|publisher=Cassell and Co.|pages=81–87, 97, 177|oclc=1049965266|via=the Internet Archive}} * {{cite book |last=Salaman|first=Malcolm C.|editor-last=Holme|editor-first=Charles|date=1917| title=The Graphic Arts of Great Britain|publisher=The Studio|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/graphicartsofgre00salauoft/page/96/mode/1up 96] |oclc=1045564078|via=the Internet Archive}} * {{cite encyclopedia|last=Sloan|first=Kim|date=1996|title=Lens|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofart19turn/page/165/mode/1up|editor-last=Turner|editor-first=Jane|encyclopedia=The Dictionary of Art|volume=19|location=New York|publisher=Grove's Dictionaries|page=165|isbn=1-884446-00-0|oclc=1033643331|via=the Internet Archive}} * {{cite book | title=Transatlantic encounters: American Indians in Britain, 1500-1776 | first=Alden T.|last=Vaughan | publisher=Cambridge University Press | year=2006 | isbn=0521865948 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-4s2aXr8oQC }} * {{cite book | title=Theatric revolution: drama, censorship and Romantic period subcultures 1773-1832 |first=David|last=Worrall | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2006 | isbn=0199276757 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q70KJ0B_-2wC }}
{{Authority control}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Use British English|date=February 2024}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lens, Bernard II}} Category:English engravers Category:1659 births Category:1725 deaths Category:English people of Dutch descent Category:18th-century British artists