{"title":"Wilkes, Benjamin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBenjamin Wilkes (d.1749)\u003c\/strong\u003e was an English painter and natural-history illustrator best known for his detailed pictures of British moths and butterflies. He described how attending a meeting of the Aurelian Society inspired him to study insects, whose colours and patterns offered lessons for his art. Over many years he observed caterpillars, chrysalises and adult insects and recorded the plants on which they fed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis book \u003cem\u003eThe English Moths and Butterflies\u003c\/em\u003e appeared in 1749, with later editions and reprints issued after his death. Its hand-coloured copperplates combined scientific interest with decorative arrangements of insects and flowers. The illustration \u003ca href=\"\/products\/wilkes-benjamin-d-1749-peacock-butterfly-on-smiths-newington-peach-1747-60\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePeacock Butterfly on Smith’s Newington Peach\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e joins the colourful peacock butterfly with a peach variety, reflecting the artist's practice of depicting insects alongside botanical subjects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWilkes was assisted in his studies by the naturalist Joseph Dandridge. Although relatively little is known about his personal life, his work belongs to the early history of English entomological illustration and the popular study of natural history, following the pioneering insect studies of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/merian-maria-sybilla\"\u003eMaria Sibylla Merian\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"wilkes-benjamin-d-1749-peacock-butterfly-on-smiths-newington-peach-1747-60","title":"Wilkes, Benjamin (d.1749) - Peacock Butterfly on Smith's Newington Peach 1747-60","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePeacock Butterfly on Smith's Newington Peach\u003c\/em\u003e is a hand-coloured natural-history illustration associated with Benjamin Wilkes (d.1749), who documented British butterflies and moths alongside their food plants. Wilkes's plates appeared in editions of \u003cem\u003eThe English Moths and Butterflies\u003c\/em\u003e from 1749 onwards; publication dates should not be confused with the artist's lifetime.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis download consists of 1 JPEG image which is 600 dpi measuring 5028 pixels wide by 6540 pixels tall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe picture is out of copyright and in the public domain, so you are free to use it in whatever way you'd like, including commercial use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/wilkes-benjamin\"\u003eBenjamin Wilkes\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Digital Download - 1 image","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64397184827722,"sku":null,"price":0.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/files\/Wilkes_Benjamin_d.1749_-PeacockbutterflyonSmith_sNewingtonPeach1747-60_main.jpg?v=1794605722"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/collections\/Wilkes_Benjamin_d.1749.jpg?v=1794605874","url":"https:\/\/www.publicdomainimagelibrary.com\/collections\/wilkes-benjamin.oembed","provider":"Public Domain Image Library","version":"1.0","type":"link"}