 William Etty was born in 1787 , the son of a York baker and miller . He began as an apprentice printer in Hull . On completing his seven @-@ year apprenticeship he moved at the age of 18 to London " with a few pieces of chalk crayons " , with the intention of becoming a history painter in the tradition of the Old Masters . Strongly influenced by the works of Titian and Rubens , he submitted paintings to the Royal Academy of Arts and the British Institution , all of which were either rejected or received scant attention when exhibited . 
