Peter Perez Burdett

Peter Perez Burdett
"Head of a Man" – one of many artworks that Burdett modelled for.
Bornc. 1734
Eastwood,[1] England
Died9 September 1793 (aged 58–59)[1]
NationalityEnglish
Occupation(s)Cartographer, Artist
Spouse(s)1. Hannah Wansell
2. Friederike Kotkowski[1]
ChildrenAnna Nancy Perez Burdett m. Friedrich Gf v Nostitz-Rieneck
Parent(s)William Burdett and Elizabeth (Perez) Burdett[2]

Peter Perez Burdett (c. 1734 – 9 September 1793) was an 18th-century cartographer, surveyor, artist, and draughtsman originally from Eastwood in Essex where he inherited a small estate and chose the name Perez from the birth surname of his mather, his maternal grandfather was the clergyman there.[2] He would have been notable just for his many appearances in Joseph Wright's pictures but he was also involved with numerous projects including surveying the route for one of the major projects of the industrial revolution, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, in 1769. He has been described as "if not in the centre at least in the penumbra of the Lunar Society of Birmingham".[3] He spent the last years of his life in Karlsruhe, avoiding debtors, but still active in German society. His German daughter married a Count.

  1. ^ a b c Karlsruhe (in German) Archived 3 August 2012 at archive.today accessed 17 June 2008
  2. ^ a b "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxforddnb.com. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  3. ^ [Taking Notes on the Left': The Shadowy Career and Thwarted Ambitions of Peter Burdett], Paul Laxton, UoL, Eighteenth-Century Worlds Research Centre (University of Liverpool) & Walker Art Gallery (NML), 16–17 November 2007, Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool