Most of these are substantial folio or above in sizing
if exact sizing or condition reports are needed yell .. all
are post free etc mainly from "In 1773, he began A Set of Prints
Engraved after the Most Capital Paintings in the Collection of Her
Imperial Majesty the Empress of Russia, Lately in the Possession of
the Earl of Orford at Houghton in Norfolk, which was finished in
1788. a large part of Walpole's collection of paintings was sold
for just £40000 by his grandson George, Earl of Orford, to
Catherine the Great, all now in the Hermitage. .. originally sold
as "HOUGHTON GALLERY, FORMERLY IN THE POSSESSION or LORD ORFORD,
NOW IN THE COLLECTION OF THE EMPRESS OF RUSSIA ; 2 vols. impl
folio, containing 133 fine plates, some before letters, hf. bd.
uncut, £10. 10s Boydell. 1788 Galleries of Pictures. . . . time
machine anyone !
**Many of the Houghton Cabinet
mezzotints are also listed upon
|
The Continence of Scipio
after the work of Nicolas Poussin, 1594-1665, engraved by
Francis legat , engraving full page;slight age toning within the
plate some tears to the edge one to the image top left one to plate
mark top left cornerDated 1784 published by Boydell
£85
FRANCIS. LEGAT, . . . "If this artist was not a
native of England, he resided in London about the year 1780. He
engraved several plates in a very finished style, in which he
appears to have imitated the fine manner adopted by Sir Robert
Strange; though his prints cannot boast of that power and
brilliancy of eiFect which distinguish the works of that
distinguished engraver. Among others, we have the following plates
by him, which were engraved for Mr. Boydell : Mary, Queen of Scots,
resigning her Crown ; after Gavin tiam ilton. The Continence of
Scipio ; after N. Poitssin. The King, Queen, and Laertes, in Hamlet
; after West. [Also a Scene in Richard the Third, after Northcote ;
and another Scene in King Lear, after Barry.}"
Nicolas Poussin (15 June 1594 &endash; 19 November
1665) was a French painter in the classical style. His work
predominantly features clarity, logic, and order, and favors line
over color. Until the 20th century he remained the dominant
inspiration for such classically oriented artists as Jacques-Louis
David and Paul Cézanne. He spent most of his working life in Rome
except for a short period when Cardinal Richelieu ordered him back
to France as First Painter to the King.
John Boydell (Shropshire, 1719 ..London, 1804) was
clearly one of England's most remarkable 18th century people. Born
to a poor family, he began his career as an at best mediocre
engraver of book plates. At this time England was at a very low ebb
as a serious centre for the creative arts (particularly engraving)
and Boydell sought to eradicate this problem by beginning a second
career as a print publisher. Modest experiments in the 1760's led
to a rapid expansion and the mid 1770's saw the publication of his
Liber Veritas, with mezzotint engravings by Richard Earlom after
the drawings of Claude in the King's Collection. This expensive
undertaking put England back on the printmaking map and was a huge
financial success for Boydell.
Some of the finest mezzotint engravings in the history of
British art belong to Boydell's series known today as The Houghton
Gallery. Beginning in 1781, Boydell commissioned England's best
mezzotint artists to engrave the paintings by Italian Renaissance
masters in the collection of the Empress of Russia at Houghton. In
total, one hundred and twenty-eight plates were created by the time
the set was completed in 1788. This original mezzotint engraving is
one of them.
|
The Three Soldiers
After Salvator Rosa drawn by George Farington engraved by
James Heath from the Houghton Cabinet . ..dated 1788
£85
GEORGE FARINGTON,, an English painter,born in the county
of Lancaster, in 1754. He was educated under Mr. West, and obtained
the prize in the Royal Academy for the best historical picture.. A
landscape painter who came to London in 1763 and worked under
Richard Wilson. He was a member of the Society of Artists from 1768
to 1773, and entered the RA schools in 1769. In 1773 he and his
brother George went to Houghton to draw the pictures, which were
subsequently engraved by Earlom and published by Boydell.From the
late 1770's to 1781 he lived and worked in the lake District, but
returned to London where he remained for the rest of his life. He
was elected ARA and RA in 1783 & 1785.He illustrated Boydell's
"History of the River Thames" 1794, and Published "Views of the
Lakes" 1789, and "Views of the Cities and Towns of England &
Wales" 1790. He also maintained a diary from 1793 which is an
important record of the arts of the period .This promising artist
afterwards went to India, where he would undoubtedly have acquired
both fame and fortune, but he died in the prime of life in 1788
JAMES HEATH,, . . " an eminent English engraver, born in
1765. His works are numerous, and his earlier productions, which
are much esteemed, are to be found, as illustrations, in various
publications by the booksellers. His larger plates are the Death of
Major Pierson, after Singleton ; the Dead Soldier, after Wright;
the Riots in 1780; the Death of Nelson, after West; and Scenes from
Shakspeare, after Smirke and Peters. He also assisted in completing
the Canterbury Pilgrims, after Stothard.]"
Salvator Rosa (1615 . . March 15, 1673) was an Italian
Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and
Florence.
He was born in Arenella, in the outskirts of Naples: either June
20 or July 21, 1615. His father, Vito Antonio de Rosa, a land
surveyor, urged his son to become a lawyer or a priest, and entered
him into the convent of the Somaschi fathers. Yet, Salvator showed
a preference for the arts, thus secretly worked with his maternal
uncle Paolo Greco to learn about painting, and soon transferred
himself to his own brother-in-law Francesco Francanzano, a pupil of
Ribera, and afterwards to either Aniello Falcone[2], contemporary
with Domenico Gargiulo[3], or Ribera himself. Some sources claim he
spent time living with roving bandits[4]. At the age of seventeen
he lost his father; his mother was destitute with at least five
children, and Salvator found himself without financial support.
He continued apprenticeship with Falcone, helping him complete
his battlepiece canvases. Lanfranco took notice of his work, and
advised him to relocate to Rome, where he stayed from 1634-6.
Returning to Naples, he began painting haunting landscapes,
overgrown with vegetation, or jagged beaches, mountains, and caves.
These early landscapes were sold cheaply through private
dealers.
He returned to Rome in 1638-39, where he was housed by Cardinal
Francesco Maria Brancaccio, bishop of Viterbo. For the Chiesa Santa
Maria della Morte in Viterbo, Rosa painted his first and one of his
few altarpieces with an Incredulity of Thomas.
In 1646 he returned to Naples, and appears to have sympathised
with the insurrection of Masaniello,. It is alleged that Rosa,
along with other painters--Coppola, Paolo Porpora, Domenico
Gargiulo, Pietro dal Po, Marzio Masturzo, the two Vaccari and
Cadogna--all under the captaincy of Aniello Falcone, formed the
Compagnia della Morte, whose mission it was to hunt down Spaniards
in the streets, not sparing even those who had sought some place of
religious asylum. Finally he returned to stay in Rome in 1649. Here
he painted some important subjects, showing the uncommon bent of
his mind as it passed from landscape into history Democritus amid
Tombs, Death of Socrates, Regulus in the Spiked Cask (these two are
now in England), Justice Quitting the Earth and the Wheel of
Fortune.
While occupied with a series of satirical portraits, to be
closed by one of himself, Rosa was assailed by dropsy. He died a
half year later. In his last moments he married a Florentine named
Lucrezia, who had borne him two sons, one of them surviving him. He
lies buried in the Chiesa degli Angeli, where a portrait of him has
been set up.He was a significant etcher, with a highly popular and
influential series of small prints of soldiers, and a number of
larger and very ambitious subjects.
John Boydell (Shropshire, 1719 ..London, 1804) was
clearly one of England's most remarkable 18th century people. Born
to a poor family, he began his career as an at best mediocre
engraver of book plates. At this time England was at a very low ebb
as a serious centre for the creative arts (particularly engraving)
and Boydell sought to eradicate this problem by beginning a second
career as a print publisher. Modest experiments in the 1760's led
to a rapid expansion and the mid 1770's saw the publication of his
Liber Veritas, with mezzotint engravings by Richard Earlom after
the drawings of Claude in the King's Collection. This expensive
undertaking put England back on the printmaking map and was a huge
financial success for Boydell.
Some of the finest mezzotint engravings in the history of
British art belong to Boydell's series known today as The Houghton
Gallery. Beginning in 1781, Boydell commissioned England's best
mezzotint artists to engrave the paintings by Italian Renaissance
masters in the collection of the Empress of Russia at Houghton. In
total, one hundred and twenty-eight plates were created by the time
the set was completed in 1788. This original mezzotint engraving is
one of them.
|
|
also listed as are the smaller versions on the religious
page
The Prodigal Son
after Salvator Rosa Engraving by Ravenet from the Houghton
Cabinet . ..dated 1781 £145 ie a differeng plate to the
mini
GEORGE FARINGTON,, an English painter,born in the county
of Lancaster, in 1754. He was educated under Mr. West, and obtained
the prize in the Royal Academy for the best historical picture.. A
landscape painter who came to London in 1763 and worked under
Richard Wilson. He was a member of the Society of Artists from 1768
to 1773, and entered the RA schools in 1769. In 1773 he and his
brother George went to Houghton to draw the pictures, which were
subsequently engraved by Earlom and published by Boydell.From the
late 1770's to 1781 he lived and worked in the lake District, but
returned to London where he remained for the rest of his life. He
was elected ARA and RA in 1783 & 1785.He illustrated Boydell's
"History of the River Thames" 1794, and Published "Views of the
Lakes" 1789, and "Views of the Cities and Towns of England &
Wales" 1790. He also maintained a diary from 1793 which is an
important record of the arts of the period .This promising artist
afterwards went to India, where he would undoubtedly have acquired
both fame and fortune, but he died in the prime of life in 1788
SIMON FRANCIS RAVENET,, a,French engraver, born at Paris
in 1706. After practising the art with considerable reputation in
his native country, he came to England, and settled in London about
the year 1750, and engraved several plates, which justly entitle
him to the rank of an eminent artist. He gave both colour and
brilliancy to his engravings, and finished them with great
precision. He engraved a variety of historical subjects and
portraits, among which are the following :
PORTRAITS. George I. George II. ; after Mercier. Lord Camdcn ;
after JKcynoldt. Alexander Pope, Poet. James Thomson, Poet. David
Hume, Historian. Mr. Garrick and Mis« Bellamy, in Romeo and Juliet;
after B. Wilson.
VARIOUS SUBJECTS.The Emblem of Human Life ; after Titian ;
Crozat collection. Venus and Adonis ; after P. Veronese ; the same.
The Adoration of the Shepherds ; after D . Feti; thesame. Painting
and Design ; after Guido. The Virgin, with the infant Jesus
sleeping; after the same. Charity ; after Carlo Cignani. Sophonisba
receiving the Nuptial Present ; after L. Giordano. The Death of
Seneca ; after the same. Tobias's Nuptial Night ; after Le Sueur.
Tobit Anointing his Father's Eyee ; after AQ. Caracci. The Lord of
the Vineyard; after Rembrandt. The Prodigal Son ; after Sal. Rosa.
Phryne tempting Xenocrates ; after the same. The Return of the
Prodigal Son ; after Oturcino. Lucretia deploring her Fate ; after
Cazali. Gunhilda, Empress of Germany, acquitted of a charge of
adultery ; after the same. He died in 1774. [Zani and Basan say he
was born in 17^1, and Rost says in 1707. He was a scholar of Ph. le
Bas, but most of his works were executed in England. He was much
employed by Boydell, as appears by his publications.]
Salvator Rosa (1615 . . March 15, 1673) was an
Italian Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples,
Rome and Florence.
He was born in Arenella, in the outskirts of Naples: either June
20 or July 21, 1615. His father, Vito Antonio de Rosa, a land
surveyor, urged his son to become a lawyer or a priest, and entered
him into the convent of the Somaschi fathers. Yet, Salvator showed
a preference for the arts, thus secretly worked with his maternal
uncle Paolo Greco to learn about painting, and soon transferred
himself to his own brother-in-law Francesco Francanzano, a pupil of
Ribera, and afterwards to either Aniello Falcone[2], contemporary
with Domenico Gargiulo[3], or Ribera himself. Some sources claim he
spent time living with roving bandits[4]. At the age of seventeen
he lost his father; his mother was destitute with at least five
children, and Salvator found himself without financial support.
He continued apprenticeship with Falcone, helping him complete
his battlepiece canvases. Lanfranco took notice of his work, and
advised him to relocate to Rome, where he stayed from 1634-6.
Returning to Naples, he began painting haunting landscapes,
overgrown with vegetation, or jagged beaches, mountains, and caves.
These early landscapes were sold cheaply through private
dealers.
He returned to Rome in 1638-39, where he was housed by Cardinal
Francesco Maria Brancaccio, bishop of Viterbo. For the Chiesa Santa
Maria della Morte in Viterbo, Rosa painted his first and one of his
few altarpieces with an Incredulity of Thomas.
In 1646 he returned to Naples, and appears to have sympathised
with the insurrection of Masaniello,. It is alleged that Rosa,
along with other painters--Coppola, Paolo Porpora, Domenico
Gargiulo, Pietro dal Po, Marzio Masturzo, the two Vaccari and
Cadogna--all under the captaincy of Aniello Falcone, formed the
Compagnia della Morte, whose mission it was to hunt down Spaniards
in the streets, not sparing even those who had sought some place of
religious asylum. Finally he returned to stay in Rome in 1649. Here
he painted some important subjects, showing the uncommon bent of
his mind as it passed from landscape into history Democritus amid
Tombs, Death of Socrates, Regulus in the Spiked Cask (these two are
now in England), Justice Quitting the Earth and the Wheel of
Fortune.
While occupied with a series of satirical portraits, to be
closed by one of himself, Rosa was assailed by dropsy. He died a
half year later. In his last moments he married a Florentine named
Lucrezia, who had borne him two sons, one of them surviving him. He
lies buried in the Chiesa degli Angeli, where a portrait of him has
been set up.He was a significant etcher, with a highly popular and
influential series of small prints of soldiers, and a number of
larger and very ambitious subjects.
John Boydell (Shropshire, 1719 ..London, 1804) was
clearly one of England's most remarkable 18th century people. Born
to a poor family, he began his career as an at best mediocre
engraver of book plates. At this time England was at a very low ebb
as a serious centre for the creative arts (particularly engraving)
and Boydell sought to eradicate this problem by beginning a second
career as a print publisher. Modest experiments in the 1760's led
to a rapid expansion and the mid 1770's saw the publication of his
Liber Veritas, with mezzotint engravings by Richard Earlom after
the drawings of Claude in the King's Collection. This expensive
undertaking put England back on the printmaking map and was a huge
financial success for Boydell.
Some of the finest mezzotint engravings in the history of
British art belong to Boydell's series known today as The Houghton
Gallery. Beginning in 1781, Boydell commissioned England's best
mezzotint artists to engrave the paintings by Italian Renaissance
masters in the collection of the Empress of Russia at Houghton. In
total, one hundred and twenty-eight plates were created by the time
the set was completed in 1788. This original mezzotint engraving is
one of them.
|
Joconda / La Gioconda + The Prodigal Son 1
After Leonardo da Vinco drawn by George Farington then
engraved by J B Michel for Houghton on the same plate as:.
.
Engraving by Salvator Rosa drawn by George Farington engraved by
J.B.Michel from the Houghton Cabinet . ..dated 1781 £105
minor border foxing
GEORGE FARINGTON,, an English painter,born in the county
of Lancaster, in 1754. He was educated under Mr. West, and obtained
the prize in the Royal Academy for the best historical picture.. A
landscape painter who came to London in 1763 and worked under
Richard Wilson. He was a member of the Society of Artists from 1768
to 1773, and entered the RA schools in 1769. In 1773 he and his
brother George went to Houghton to draw the pictures, which were
subsequently engraved by Earlom and published by Boydell.From the
late 1770's to 1781 he lived and worked in the lake District, but
returned to London where he remained for the rest of his life. He
was elected ARA and RA in 1783 & 1785.He illustrated Boydell's
"History of the River Thames" 1794, and Published "Views of the
Lakes" 1789, and "Views of the Cities and Towns of England &
Wales" 1790. He also maintained a diary from 1793 which is an
important record of the arts of the period .This promising artist
afterwards went to India, where he would undoubtedly have acquired
both fame and fortune, but he died in the prime of life in 1788
Jean Baptiste Michel: A stipple and line engraver, Jean
Baptiste Michel studied art under Chenu, in his native Paris. After
establishing his reputation in France, J. B. Michel moved to London
around 1780. During the following years he was commissioned to
engrave decorative, religious and historical plates after the
designs of such old masters as Leonardo, Carracci, Pietro da
Cortona, Maratti, Velazquez and many others. He also engraved many
fine plates after contemporary painters such as Benjamin West and
Boucher. During the 1790's Jean Baptiste Michel was regularly
commissioned by John Boydell.
Salvator Rosa (1615 . . March 15, 1673) was an Italian
Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and
Florence.
He was born in Arenella, in the outskirts of Naples: either June
20 or July 21, 1615. His father, Vito Antonio de Rosa, a land
surveyor, urged his son to become a lawyer or a priest, and entered
him into the convent of the Somaschi fathers. Yet, Salvator showed
a preference for the arts, thus secretly worked with his maternal
uncle Paolo Greco to learn about painting, and soon transferred
himself to his own brother-in-law Francesco Francanzano, a pupil of
Ribera, and afterwards to either Aniello Falcone[2], contemporary
with Domenico Gargiulo[3], or Ribera himself. Some sources claim he
spent time living with roving bandits[4]. At the age of seventeen
he lost his father; his mother was destitute with at least five
children, and Salvator found himself without financial support.
He continued apprenticeship with Falcone, helping him complete
his battlepiece canvases. Lanfranco took notice of his work, and
advised him to relocate to Rome, where he stayed from 1634-6.
Returning to Naples, he began painting haunting landscapes,
overgrown with vegetation, or jagged beaches, mountains, and caves.
These early landscapes were sold cheaply through private
dealers.
He returned to Rome in 1638-39, where he was housed by Cardinal
Francesco Maria Brancaccio, bishop of Viterbo. For the Chiesa Santa
Maria della Morte in Viterbo, Rosa painted his first and one of his
few altarpieces with an Incredulity of Thomas.
In 1646 he returned to Naples, and appears to have sympathised
with the insurrection of Masaniello,. It is alleged that Rosa,
along with other painters--Coppola, Paolo Porpora, Domenico
Gargiulo, Pietro dal Po, Marzio Masturzo, the two Vaccari and
Cadogna--all under the captaincy of Aniello Falcone, formed the
Compagnia della Morte, whose mission it was to hunt down Spaniards
in the streets, not sparing even those who had sought some place of
religious asylum. Finally he returned to stay in Rome in 1649. Here
he painted some important subjects, showing the uncommon bent of
his mind as it passed from landscape into history Democritus amid
Tombs, Death of Socrates, Regulus in the Spiked Cask (these two are
now in England), Justice Quitting the Earth and the Wheel of
Fortune.
While occupied with a series of satirical portraits, to be
closed by one of himself, Rosa was assailed by dropsy. He died a
half year later. In his last moments he married a Florentine named
Lucrezia, who had borne him two sons, one of them surviving him. He
lies buried in the Chiesa degli Angeli, where a portrait of him has
been set up.He was a significant etcher, with a highly popular and
influential series of small prints of soldiers, and a number of
larger and very ambitious subjects.
John Boydell (Shropshire, 1719 ..London, 1804) was
clearly one of England's most remarkable 18th century people. Born
to a poor family, he began his career as an at best mediocre
engraver of book plates. At this time England was at a very low ebb
as a serious centre for the creative arts (particularly engraving)
and Boydell sought to eradicate this problem by beginning a second
career as a print publisher. Modest experiments in the 1760's led
to a rapid expansion and the mid 1770's saw the publication of his
Liber Veritas, with mezzotint engravings by Richard Earlom after
the drawings of Claude in the King's Collection. This expensive
undertaking put England back on the printmaking map and was a huge
financial success for Boydell.
Some of the finest mezzotint engravings in the history of
British art belong to Boydell's series known today as The Houghton
Gallery. Beginning in 1781, Boydell commissioned England's best
mezzotint artists to engrave the paintings by Italian Renaissance
masters in the collection of the Empress of Russia at Houghton. In
total, one hundred and twenty-eight plates were created by the time
the set was completed in 1788. This original mezzotint engraving is
one of them.
|
|
Joconda / La Gioconda + The Prodigal Son 2
After Leonardo da Vinco drawn by George Farington then
engraved by J B Michel for Houghton on the same plate as:. .
Engraving by Salvator Rosa drawn by George Farington engraved by
J.B.Michel from the Houghton Cabinet . ..dated 1781 £105
minor border foxing
GEORGE FARINGTON,, an English painter,born in the county
of Lancaster, in 1754. He was educated under Mr. West, and obtained
the prize in the Royal Academy for the best historical picture.. A
landscape painter who came to London in 1763 and worked under
Richard Wilson. He was a member of the Society of Artists from 1768
to 1773, and entered the RA schools in 1769. In 1773 he and his
brother George went to Houghton to draw the pictures, which were
subsequently engraved by Earlom and published by Boydell.From the
late 1770's to 1781 he lived and worked in the lake District, but
returned to London where he remained for the rest of his life. He
was elected ARA and RA in 1783 & 1785.He illustrated Boydell's
"History of the River Thames" 1794, and Published "Views of the
Lakes" 1789, and "Views of the Cities and Towns of England &
Wales" 1790. He also maintained a diary from 1793 which is an
important record of the arts of the period .This promising artist
afterwards went to India, where he would undoubtedly have acquired
both fame and fortune, but he died in the prime of life in 1788
Jean Baptiste Michel: A stipple and line engraver, Jean
Baptiste Michel studied art under Chenu, in his native Paris. After
establishing his reputation in France, J. B. Michel moved to London
around 1780. During the following years he was commissioned to
engrave decorative, religious and historical plates after the
designs of such old masters as Leonardo, Carracci, Pietro da
Cortona, Maratti, Velazquez and many others. He also engraved many
fine plates after contemporary painters such as Benjamin West and
Boucher. During the 1790's Jean Baptiste Michel was regularly
commissioned by John Boydell.
Salvator Rosa (1615 . . March 15, 1673) was an Italian
Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and
Florence.
He was born in Arenella, in the outskirts of Naples: either June
20 or July 21, 1615. His father, Vito Antonio de Rosa, a land
surveyor, urged his son to become a lawyer or a priest, and entered
him into the convent of the Somaschi fathers. Yet, Salvator showed
a preference for the arts, thus secretly worked with his maternal
uncle Paolo Greco to learn about painting, and soon transferred
himself to his own brother-in-law Francesco Francanzano, a pupil of
Ribera, and afterwards to either Aniello Falcone[2], contemporary
with Domenico Gargiulo[3], or Ribera himself. Some sources claim he
spent time living with roving bandits[4]. At the age of seventeen
he lost his father; his mother was destitute with at least five
children, and Salvator found himself without financial support.
He continued apprenticeship with Falcone, helping him complete
his battlepiece canvases. Lanfranco took notice of his work, and
advised him to relocate to Rome, where he stayed from 1634-6.
Returning to Naples, he began painting haunting landscapes,
overgrown with vegetation, or jagged beaches, mountains, and caves.
These early landscapes were sold cheaply through private
dealers.
He returned to Rome in 1638-39, where he was housed by Cardinal
Francesco Maria Brancaccio, bishop of Viterbo. For the Chiesa Santa
Maria della Morte in Viterbo, Rosa painted his first and one of his
few altarpieces with an Incredulity of Thomas.
In 1646 he returned to Naples, and appears to have sympathised
with the insurrection of Masaniello,. It is alleged that Rosa,
along with other painters--Coppola, Paolo Porpora, Domenico
Gargiulo, Pietro dal Po, Marzio Masturzo, the two Vaccari and
Cadogna--all under the captaincy of Aniello Falcone, formed the
Compagnia della Morte, whose mission it was to hunt down Spaniards
in the streets, not sparing even those who had sought some place of
religious asylum. Finally he returned to stay in Rome in 1649. Here
he painted some important subjects, showing the uncommon bent of
his mind as it passed from landscape into history Democritus amid
Tombs, Death of Socrates, Regulus in the Spiked Cask (these two are
now in England), Justice Quitting the Earth and the Wheel of
Fortune.
While occupied with a series of satirical portraits, to be
closed by one of himself, Rosa was assailed by dropsy. He died a
half year later. In his last moments he married a Florentine named
Lucrezia, who had borne him two sons, one of them surviving him. He
lies buried in the Chiesa degli Angeli, where a portrait of him has
been set up.He was a significant etcher, with a highly popular and
influential series of small prints of soldiers, and a number of
larger and very ambitious subjects.
John Boydell (Shropshire, 1719 ..London, 1804) was
clearly one of England's most remarkable 18th century people. Born
to a poor family, he began his career as an at best mediocre
engraver of book plates. At this time England was at a very low ebb
as a serious centre for the creative arts (particularly engraving)
and Boydell sought to eradicate this problem by beginning a second
career as a print publisher. Modest experiments in the 1760's led
to a rapid expansion and the mid 1770's saw the publication of his
Liber Veritas, with mezzotint engravings by Richard Earlom after
the drawings of Claude in the King's Collection. This expensive
undertaking put England back on the printmaking map and was a huge
financial success for Boydell.
Some of the finest mezzotint engravings in the history of
British art belong to Boydell's series known today as The Houghton
Gallery. Beginning in 1781, Boydell commissioned England's best
mezzotint artists to engrave the paintings by Italian Renaissance
masters in the collection of the Empress of Russia at Houghton. In
total, one hundred and twenty-eight plates were created by the time
the set was completed in 1788. This original mezzotint engraving is
one of them.
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