William Lock was a well known amateur, connoisseur and collector of works of art. In 1749 he set out on the Grand Tour and in Venice he met Richard Wilson. Wilson travelled with him in his carriage from Venice to Rome late in 1751 and Lock kept many of the drawings that Wilson made on the spot along the way. In addition to these drawings, he also owned P72 Lake Nemi and Genzano from the Terrace of the Capuchin Monastery, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and Celadon and Amelia (location unknown). He later formed an important collection of artworks, including Claude Lorrain's Seaport with the Embarkation of St.Ursula and The Triumph of Silenus, after Nicolas Poussin (both National Gallery, London). When he purchased an estate at Norbury, near Mickleham, Surrey, Lock employed George Barret and Bartolomeo Cipriani to decorate several of the rooms. His collection was distributed between Norbury and his London home, 21, Portman Square. In 1767 Lock married Frederica Augusta Schaub, daughter of Sir Luke Schaub (1690-1758), a diplomat and collector, who had advised Frederick, Prince of Wales on his art collection. Among his friends in later life were Lawrence, Farington and the prominent collector, John Julius Angerstein. His son, also named William (1767-1847), was a painter of historical and allegorical subjects and a friend of Fuseli. Lock's posthumous sale took place over four days at Sotheby's, Wellington Street, London from 3 May 1821. It included 221 drawings by Wilson, all of Italian subjects, which were sold in lots for a sum total of £83.8.0.The principal lot, a sketch-book containing 20 drawings, realised £3.5.0. Lock had also formed an extensive collection of topographical prints, including the sets Six Views in North and South Wales (E22 & E27-E31) and Twelve Original Views of Italy (E31-E43) all after Wilson and published by John Boydell. These sets featured in his sale as lots 10 & 11 respectively. Woollett's print of Celadon and Amelia (E18) was lot 307.
