Early Life and Artistic Beginnings James Sillett, born in Norwich in May of 1764, emerged from a milieu steeped in provincial artistic tradition. His father, also named James Sillett, was an heraldic painter—a profession that initially shaped the young artist’s hand and eye. This early apprenticeship instilled a meticulous attention to detail and a foundational understanding of draftsmanship, qualities that would become hallmarks of h…