BACON, (Dons) in biography, a cele brated sculptor, descended from an an cient family in Somersetshire was born in Southwark, Nov. 24, 1740, where his father Thomas Bacon, a cloth-worker, re sided. When very young, Mr. Bacon dis covered a great inclination for drawing, common to children ; but, not being par ticularly encouraged in it, he never made much proficiency in the art. At the age of 14, he was bound apprentice to Mr. Crispe, of Bow Church Yard, where he was employed in painting on porcelain, He occasionally assisted in the manufac tory of china at Lambeth, particularly in forming small ornamental pieces, which he executed with so much taste, as to in dicate no ordinary powers. To his ho nour be it mentioned, that, by the encour ragementhe met with, he was able prin cipally to support his aged parents, re duced in their circumstances, though by such an exertion he was obligedto abridge himself of the necessaries of life. At the manufactory at Lambeth he had an op portunity of observing models of different sculptors, which were sent to a pottery on the same premises to be burnt. From the sight of these he immediately conceiv ed a strong inclination for his future pro fession. Having once made his choice, he was unremitting in his diligence ; and it is said that his progress was as rapid as his turn was sudden and unpremeditated. During this young man's apprenticeship, he formed a design of making statues in artificial stone ; and to his exertions is to be attributed the flourishing state of Coades's manufactory. In 1763, Mr. Ba con attempted to work in marble, and having never seen the operationperform ed, he was led to invent an instrument for transferring the form of the model to the marble, this is called " getting out the points," which has been brought into use both in England and on the continent.
The advantage of this instrument con sists in its certainty and exactness, in its taking a correct measurement in every direction, in its occupying a small com pass, and that it may be transferred, ei ther to the model or the marble, without a separate instrument for each. In 1768, Mr. Bacon removed to the West end of the town, and attended upon the Royal Academy, where he received his first in structions, having never before seen the art of modelling or sculpture regularly performed. In the following year the gold medal for sculpture, the first ever given by the society, was voted to Mr. Bacon. He became an associate of that body in the year 1770, and from this time his reputation was firmly established, and he obtained patronage of the highest rank. It would be needless to attempt an enumeration of the various works by which he attained to the first eminence in a very difficult profession. The efforts of his genius are widely spread, and his name will longlive, the pride of the coun try which gave him birth, and from which he had never occasion to travel for the improvement of his talents, or the culti vation of a fine taste.
This distinguished artist was suddenly attacked with an inflammation in his bow els on the 4th of August, 1799, which ter minated his life in little more than two days. He died August 7th, in the 59th year of his age, leaving behind him a character as great for integrity and virtue as he had obtained in his profession as a sculptor. He had been twice married, and left ten children and a widow, to mourn the loss of a tender father and af fectionate husband. Cecil's Memoirs of Bacon.