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A magnificent pair of botanical mezzotints, issued by John Boydell when Robert Walpole's collection of paintings were sold from Houghton House to Catherine the Great of Russia. The oil on canvas originals, now in the Hermitage, were based on paintings by Jan Van Huysum. He was a master of the genre of floral still-life painting that developed in the Netherlands in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and one of the last of the great Dutch masters. Van Huysum was very successful in his own day-among his patrons were the King of Prussia and the King of Poland-and his popularity has last until modern times, as his images have a classical beauty and timeless quality. The images here are typical of his work, with elaborate compositions of overflowing vases sitting on marble ledges. These images were masterfully transferred to copper plates by Richard Earlom using the mezzotint process; Earlom was the master of this process and one of the very few craftsmen who was equal to rendering Van Huysum's paintings into a printed medium. Mezzotint was one of the most elaborate printmaking processes, and it gives these prints a rich texture unequaled by other botanical prints. The detail and composition are superbly rendered, well expressing the skill of both the artist and mezzotinter. Probably the most striking, rare, and desirable botanical prints ever produced. Ref: Bridson & Wendel, Printmaking In The Service of Botany, 30; Brindle & White, Flora Portrayed, 17; Dunthorne, Flower & Fruit Prints, 313. For the pair: $12,000
This print shows a bountiful larder rendered by Joseph Farington after the painting by Martin de Vos. $2,200
This print showing a game market is after a painting by Franz Snyders (1579-1657), an Antwerp painter who excelled in painting still lifes and hunts. $1,800
A large, rare, and magnificent British fox hunting print, aquatinted by John Harris (1811-1865), one of the leading sporting engravers of the nineteenth century. This is an unusual print for being published not in London, but in Exeter. Its image and quality, however, are perfectly in line with the very best British sports prints. The Hunt, with its pack of hounds, is shown crossing in the foreground, the British countryside stretching out in the distance. The aquatinting and vivid color are superb, the size is impressive, combining to make this a most desirable print. $3,600
Plate 46. From Peintures des Vases Antiques de la Collection de Son Excellence Mr. Le Chevalier Hamilton. . . . Four volumes in French and Italian. Florence: Società Calcographica, 1802. Hand colored engraving.
Sir William Hamilton, after amassing and publishing fine illustrations of his first "Cabinet of Etruscan, Greek and Roman antiquities," sold the renowned collection to the British Museum, and began afresh to develop a second, similar collection. The first collection remains one of the Museum's greatest treasures.
Hamilton authored and published his Collection of Engravings from Ancient Vases, based on this second collection, between 1791 and 1795. This publication and Wedgwood's works on ceramics influenced John Flaxman and Henry Fuseli as well as many other European artists. These engravings are illustrations from the first Florentine edition of Collection of Engravings from Ancient Vases. Part of this group of vases was lost during Hamilton's hasty escape from Naples upon the invasion of the French in 1798; the remainder was eventually sold en masse to Englishman, Thomas Hope. Though Hope offered Hamilton less than he planned to receive, he promised to keep the vases together, for the study of artists and students of history, as Hamilton had always intended. $725
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Here a young curate is returning from his religious duties. At first, the scene seems to display a joyous domestic scene. However, traditional symbolism may suggest that all is not quite well. The yellow chair rails mimic the birdcage hanging outside the door creating a connection between the wife and the caged bird. While the small dog, fido, a symbol of fidelity, is nipping at the young man’s coat. Such symbolism was common through the nineteenth century. $650
Here a young mother and her son bring a basket filled with geese and a piglet in lieu of money. Agricultural tithing was very common in Europe at the time. The rector must have had a successful day, as bottles of wine can be seen behind his desk and his pocket is stuffed with donations. $650
James Gillray. "Judge Thumb." London: W. Humphrey, No. 227 Strand; [27 November 1782]-1818. 6 3/4 x 5 1/16. Etching. Hand color. On wove paper watermarked 1818. Excellent condition. George, 6123.
In 1782, Judge Francis Buller ruled that a man was allowed to beat his wife, provided that the instrument of violence was no larger around than his thumb. Even in the eighteenth century, this ruling was controversial, provoking Gillray to produce this satirical cartoon. According to one contemporary source, the artist's rendering of Buller's face was "a very striking likeness." Indeed, it is remarkably well-rendered and is clearly the object of Gillray's joke. As the working-class man in the background beats his wife with a regulation-sized stick, they serve as foils for the judge's folly. $325
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Robert Strange after Andrea Sacchi. "Apollo rewarding Merit and punishing Arrogance." London: Robert Strange, 1755. 17 1/2 x 12 5/8. Line engraving by Robert Strange. Small tears and one small hole, as well as light soiling, mostly outside plate mark. Overall, very good condition.
In this handsome image, the classically youthful nude Apollo, with his long tresses, lyre in hand, places a laurel wreath on the head of Merit. Merit, possibly in the form of Sacchi's patron, is seen in the costume of the Renaissance, playing a harpsichord decorated with the figure of Daphne, one of Apollo's unsuccessful conquests, turns into a tree. Behind Apollo, a wild eyed satyr portrays Arrogance. He is seated with his hands bound over his head, his pipes on the ground by his side. This emphasizes the contrast between the stringed instruments favored by Apollo, and the flute or syrinx of Pan and the satyrs.
Andrea Sacchi, son of minor painter Benedetto Sacchi, was born in Nettuno near Rome in the late 16th century, studied under Raphael and Caravaggio and was a favorite of Cardinal Barberini. Sacchi's 'Saint Romuald with his Monks,' which hangs in the Vatican, is considered one of the four finest pictures in Rome. He died in 1661 in the town of his birth. Sir Robert Strange (1721-92), English engraver and publisher, favored the works of Italian painters such as Raphael, Guercino, Reni and Sacchi. He studied under Richard Cooper in Edinburgh and in the studio of Le Bas in 1749 from whom he learned the subtleties of etching. From 1750 to 1758, he worked in London, engraving the works of Italian masters hanging in English collections. Then from 1760 to 1764, he traveled in Italy for the purpose of creating drawings to be engraved for print later. In 1775 Strange wrote a particularly sanguine essay against the Royal Academy's exclusion of engravers, after which he spent much time in Paris. He was redeemed in England by his engraving of Benjamin West's 'Apotheosis of the Princes Octavius and Alfred,' impressions of which he presented to King George III in 1787, and for which image he was knighted. This was a singular honor, as no engraver had been knighted since Nicholas Dorigny in 1720. $600
Richard Corbould. "Botany." From Encyclopaedia Londinensis or, Universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature. London: J. Wilkes, March 1, 1805. Ca. 9 x 7 1/4. Stipple engravings with some line work by J. Chapman. Hand color. With light sticker mark in bottom margin. Otherwise, very good condition.
In the era of Enlightenment, books of knowledge, like Encyclopaedia Londinensis, took on a new importance and nobility in the scope of book publishing. Fine artists like Richard Corbould were employed to draw allegorical prints to embellish the volumes. Exalting the pursuit of knowledge, these allegorical prints draw on neo-Classical vocabulary to confer nobility on the studies of geography, botany, painting, and others. In classically-draped garments, female figures pose amid Roman architecture and artifact, employing the tools of investigation specific to their discipline. This wonderful image contains an allegory of the science of botany. $250
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R. R. McIan. "Shaw." From The Clans of The Scottish Highlands. London: Ackermann and Co., 1845. Folio; ca. 12 x 8. Lithograph. Original hand-color. Full margins. Excellent condition. With text by James Logan.
A print of the Shaw clan from a series of beautiful hand-colored prints of the highland clans from Scotland by R.R. McIan. Queen Victoria was the first of the English monarchs to become interested in her Scottish heritage. In response to this royal interest, R. R. McIan and James Logan made extensive research into the clans of the Scottish highlands, and then produced their sumptuous volumes. This was the first comprehensive illustrated work on the Scottish clans, presenting a descriptive history of each clan and a picture of its clan plaid. Thus, these prints represent a primary source for subsequent work on the clans and their tartans. These are fascinating and colorful pieces of Scottish history. $250
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Joseph Nash. "The Guard Chamber-Mast of Victory, with bust of Lord Nelson." From Interior and Exterior views of Windsor Castle. London: Thomas M'Lean, 1848. Chromolithograph with hand color. About 13 x 18 1/2. Deluxe print mounted onto boards as issued. Very good condition.
Joseph Nash (1809-1878) was a draughtsman and lithographer of architectural views, trained by A. C. Pugin. The new printing medium of chromolithography was used to make the prints in his excellent series of interior and exterior views of Windsor. This technique, allowing for greater nuance and value gradation than pure lithography, was an ideal means of expression for Nash's historically rich and picturesque depictions. Interested very much in interiors, Nash lavished his attention on detail for these prints, taking care that all furniture, decoration and costume were correct. The skillful lithography allows for maximum warmth, richness and convincing movement, leaving us prints that are excellent examples of mid-nineteenth-century British architectural interiors. $525
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George Morland. [Set of four mezzotints telling the story of a military recruit]. Mezzotints by G[eorge] Keating. London: J.R. Smith, 1791. Each print trimmed to plate mark. Each 21 1/2 x 17 1/2. Excellent impressions. Very good condition.
Typically of Morland's art, these pictures provide a rich narrative of British life. In "Plate 1, Trepanning a Recruit," a young country fellow is enticed to join the army by two recruiters who use flattery and spirited drinks, while the country swain's wife and child look on with misgivings. In "Plate 2d, Recruit Deserted," the army officers drag him from under his bed and away from his wife and child. "Plate 3d, Deserter taking leave of his Wife" shows a sad farewell at the cabin door. "Plate 4th.," shows the "Deserter Pardon'd" by a noble officer while other recruits march away and the wife and child rejoice. Throughout the set Morland provides much detail on customs, decorative arts, and architecture while telling the sad story of the dangers to the people of Great Britain posed by the French Revolution and other threats. The set, $2,400
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Thomas Rowlandson. "Doctor Syntax Loses His Money On The Race Ground At York." From one of the Tours of Dr. Syntax. London, engraved between about 1812 and 1821. Ca. 4 1/2 x 7 1/2. Aquatint by Thomas Rowlandson. Original hand color. Some typical light stains, overall very good condition.
A delightful print from one of the famous ‘tours of Dr. Syntax.’ These tours chronicle the various escapades of the fictional 19th-century English clergyman, Dr. Syntax. The animated drawing and wonderful facial expressions make them excellent examples of Rowlandson’s parodic work from the great age of English caricature. $65
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A charming print from popular sporting artist Cecil Aldin. Known for his bright images of classic British sporting scenes, including coaching, hunting, racing, and other sports, Aldin's chromolithographs are most desirable. $550
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"The Bachelor." London: L.H. Lefevre, 1906. 10 x 13. Etching by C.O. Murray. Signed in plate. Very good condition.
A delightful example of the work of Walter Dendy Sadler (1854-1923) who produced over one hundred and seventy prints in his lifetime. This example shows a bachelor smoking a clay pipe and relaxing by the fire with a loyal dog at his feet. Other images show gentle-folk enjoying drink, food and leisure activities. Sadler's prints are famous for depicting authentic costumes, as well as furniture, stemware and other decorative arts. $250
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William Hogarth. [The March to Finchley] From The Original Works of William Hogarth. London: John & Josiah Boydell, 1790. 16 1/4 x 21 1/2. Engraving by William Hogarth. On hand laid paper. Very good impressions. Very good condition.
William Hogarth (1697-1764) is considered by many to be the greatest English caricaturist of all time. He was an perceptive observer and his illustrations of the social and political conduct of his day are fascinating historical documents and humorous depictions of human foibles, which have remained much the same over the last two centuries. This print is from a portfolio issued in 1790 by John and Josiah Boydell, printed from the original plate engraved by Hogarth. $1200
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After James Northcote. "Diligence & Dissipation, Plate 1." From Diligence and Dissipation. London: T. Gaugain, 1796-97. All approximately 18 1/2 x 21 1/4 (plate marks). Engraved by Gaugain & Hellyear. Some minor tears in margins, professionally repaired. Otherwise, very good condition.
One of a beautifully engraved set of prints that visually preach the virtue of living a moral life and the ramifications if one does not. This set of prints depict the lives of two servant girls, the "Good or Modest" girl and the "Wanton" girl. Both live and work in the same house. The good girl is diligent in her work and is chaste, whereas her coworker neglects her duties and is not a virtuous woman. The wanton is eventually thrown out into the street, pregnant, only to die of poverty. The good girl eventually marries her master to become the mistress of the house. Basically, the message of this set of prints presents is that good behavior and diligence in one's work will lead to great rewards. Otherwise, the only other consideration is ruin from immorality. $800
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Henry Singleton. "Gipsey's Stealing A Child." London, 1801. 16 1/2 x 22 1/4. Mezzotint by F. Green. Original hand color. With wear in margins and repaired tears in bottom margin. Otherwise, very good condition and appearance.
Henry Singleton (1766-1839) was a British artist of genre, historical, literary and biblical themed scenes. He was a precocious talent, exhibiting at the Society of Artists at age 14 and entering the Royal Academy Schools three years later. He exhibited every year from 1784 until his death at the Royal Academy and also at the British Institution beginning with its founding in 1806. Many of his paintings were made into mezzotints which became widely popular. This is a fine example of his work, beautifully mezzotinted in 1801. $750
"Sneed Park the Seat of Joseph Jackson Esq." From Britannia Illustrata or Views of Several of the Queens Palaces also of the Principal Seats of the Nobility and Gentry of Great Britain. London, [1709]. Drawing and etching by Johannes Kip and Leonard Knyff. Double folio. Image size 13 3/4 x 17. Etching. Hand-coloring. Full margins. Very good condition.
Johannes Kip (1653-1722) was a draughtsman and engraver, who worked first in his native Amsterdam before moving to London at the end of the seventeenth century. He did portraits, views, and book illustrations. His most important work was this lovely and informative series of bird's-eye views of English country seats. Architectural elements are rendered with great care and detail; and the surrounding formal gardens and distant nature are illustrated with luxurious fullness. Incidental figures and horses add delight and visual interest. Charming prints that are also archeologically significant for the information they give us about this great period in British architecture and landscape design. $750
Go to complete listing of prints from Kip's Britannia Illustrata.
W.H. Pyne's The History of the Royal Residences. London: W.H. Pyne, 1819. 7 7/8 x 9 3/4. Aquatint. Full original hand coloring. Very good condition.
In the early nineteenth century, Great Britain was one of the most powerful countries in the world, and the British people had a fascination with their country and its society. This resulted in the production of many exquisite color plate works depicting aspects of their world. This series of rich interiors shows the rooms at Windsor Castle, St. James's Palace, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court, Buckingham House (later Buckingham Palace), and Frogmore. With beautiful hand coloring, lush aquatinting, these prints are excellent examples of the fine prints from this era in British history. $300
Go to complete listing of prints from Pyne's History of Royal Residences.
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