Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Savage, John (fl.1690-1700)
SAVAGE, JOHN (fl. 1690–1700), engraver and printseller, executed a few portraits which, though of little artistic merit, are valuable as records of interesting persons of his day; some of these he published separately, others were done as frontispieces to books. His most important plates are ‘the Antipapists’ (portraits of the Dukes of Monmouth and Argyll, Arthur, earl of Essex, William, lord Russell, Sir Thomas Armstrong, Alderman Cornish, Algernon Sidney, and Sir E. B. Godfrey, on one sheet); Philip V of Spain; Arthur Herbert, earl of Torrington; Sir H. Chauncy (frontispiece to his ‘History of Hertfordshire,’ 1700); Charles Leigh, M.D., after Faithorne (frontispiece to his ‘Natural History of Lancashire,’ 1700); and Prince Giolo, a South Sea Islander who was exhibited in London in 1692. According to Walpole, Savage made the production of portraits of malefactors his speciality, but none of that class are known bearing his name. He engraved some of the illustrations to Guidott's ‘De Thermis Britannicis,’ 1691, Strype's ‘Memorials of Cranmer,’ 1694, L. Plukenet's ‘Phytographia,’ vol. ii. 1696, Evelyn's ‘Numismata,’ 1697, and Robert Morison's ‘Plantarum Historia,’ vol. iii. 1699. Savage probably executed many of the plates after M. Laroon in Tempest's ‘Cries of London,’ one of which, ‘The London Quaker,’ bears his name. A pack of mathematical playing cards, published by T. Tuttell, was engraved by him from designs by Boitard. Savage resided in Denmark Court, Strand, until he purchased the plates and succeeded to the business of Isaac Beckett at the Golden Head in the Old Bailey; later he removed to the Golden Head in St. Paul's Churchyard, near Doctors' Commons.
[Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting; Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Dodd's Memoirs of English Engravers in British Museum (Addit. MS. 33404); Willshire's Cat. of Playing Cards in British Museum, pp. 236, 299.]