Il Bamboccio (Pieter van Laër) "The Farm Yard"

Pieter van Laër aka Il Bamboccio. "The Farm Yard."

London: John Boydell, October 1, 1768. 16 7/8 x 22 3/4. Copper plate engraving by P.C. Canot. Trimmed to plate mark. Repairs at lower corners of margins. Else, very good condition. 

A charming pastoral scene set near a Roman ruin, where farm animals are gathered peacefully in the foreground. Such subjects were typical of the work of van Laër or Il Bamboccio (1599-1642), and this is a fine example.

John Boydell (1719-1804) was educated to be a surveyor but upon seeing some beautiful landscape prints by W. H. Toms he was determined to be an artist and so apprenticed himself to that same artist. He became a masterful engraver and made a fortune and great reputation for himself. He is credited with transforming Britain from a print importing country to one that exported that valuable and prestigious product. In 1791 he was elected to be Lord Mayor of London and continued to provide prints for the general population and artists in England.