Augustin Heckel

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Augustin Heckel (1690–20 August 1770) was a German-born painter, engraver, and draughtsman who spent most of his career in England. Born into a family of goldsmiths in Augsburg, he worked as a painter of flowers in watercolors and gouache and also did engraving and watch-case work. He came to England as a young man and retired in 1746 to Richmond, Surrey, where he died in 1770.

One of his notable works is A West View of Richmond, etc., from the Star and Garter on the Hill (1752), engraved by Charles Grignion the Elder; it is now in the British Government Art Collection. Heckel published two flower-etching books: The Lady's Drawing Book (1755) and The Florist (1759).

Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum holds an album of his drawings. The British Museum has two prints by John June after Heckel. The Victoria and Albert Museum owns several items: A New Book of Shields useful for all sorts of Artificers (1752); a gold box engraved by Heckel; a design drawing for a cartouche; and a print from 1750–70, A Select Collection of the most beautiful Flowers, drawn after nature by A. Heckell. The Battle of Culloden (1746; reprinted 1797) is in the National Galleries of Scotland. A color engraving, The Countess of Suffolk’s House (1749), is at Marble Hill House, Twickenham.