Edema, Gerard

, a Dutch painter, thought to be a native of Friesland, painted landscapes justly held in great esteem. He went over to Surinam, for the purpose of drawing insects and plants; this department, however, appearing to him too confined, he quitted it for the taking of views, drawing trees, &c. He then went to the English colonies in America, where he applied to all manner of subjects; and painted several pictures which he brought with him to London about 1670. Whatever he put out of his | hand, was well coloured, and finished with spirit. His pictures found a quick reception here in England, as representing prospects of a continent in which the public was so highly interested. Edema took his advantage of this taste for his works, and became famous for painting landscapes, in which he exhibited a variety of scenes of horror, such as rocks, mountains, precipices, cataracts, and other marks of savage nature. He would have died more wealthy, and perhaps would have lived longer, had he not been too fond of wine. He died about 1700. ¹