Editore: [London: James Asperne.], 1803
Da: Wittenborn Art Books, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
Manoscritto / Collezionismo cartaceo
Condizione: Good. Stipple Engraving. Oval. 4" x 3.5", Very Good. Name penciled on verso.
Editore: Published by John Boydell, Cheapside, London, 1777
Da: Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, NY, U.S.A.
Arte / Stampa / Poster
Mezzotint. State iii/iii, with the engraved inscription in thick and thin cursive letters. In good condition apart from some overall light surface soiling and foxing. Occasional rubbed creases throughout image. Laid down onto cream wove backing paper. Image size: 13 1/16 x 10 15/16 inches. This charming portrait of the fashionable Catherine Schindlerin expertly illustrates Smith's superior technique and artistic ingenuity. Catherine Schinderlin was a German singer and actress, who began her career in London in 1775, the year Reynolds did this portrait for the Duke and Duchess of Dorset. It shows the actress in the role of the "Coquette" from an as yet unidentified play or opera. A highly influential figure in the late eighteenth-century British art world, John Raphael Smith was the most robust and prolific printmaker of his time. During his prodigious career, Smith produced nearly 400 prints, 130 of which were of his own design. The remainder reproduced paintings by such noted British artists as Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, and Joseph Wright of Derby. Smith was an incredibly astute businessman and soon became an impresario of the print-publishing trade. At the 1783 exhibition of the Society of Artists, Smith exhibited his print of the Prince of Wales. This clever bit of marketing precipitated his appointment as the Prince of Wales' mezzotint engraver, immediately making him even more desirable to an art market hungry for quality prints. (D'Oench) D'Oench, Copper into Gold, Prints by John Raphael Smith 88; Frankau, An Eighteenth Century Artist and Engraver, John Raphael Smith 306, iii/iii; Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits 147, iii/iii; Russell, English Mezzotint Portraits, and their States 147; O'Donoghue, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits.in the British Museum 1; Lennox-Boyd & Stogdon, state iii/iii.
Editore: Published by J. R. Smith, No. 83 Oxford Street, London, 1786
Da: Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, NY, U.S.A.
Arte / Stampa / Poster
Coloured mezzotint. In good condition with the exception of some faint soiling in upper margin. Bottom margin outside platemark is coated with white paint. Water stains on verso of sheet, not noticeable on front of sheet. Image size: 14 3/4 x 17 inches. Plate size: 17 7/8 x 19 5/8 inches. Sheet size: 19 5/8 x 20 inches. A wonderful mezzotint after Rev. Matthew William Peters, by one of the finest eighteenth century engravers. This charming print is engraved after a painting by Rev. Matthew William Peters, and is a fascinating example of this period in British printmaking. Matthew Peters was trained in London under the portraitist Thomas Hudson. He quickly became a prominent member of the Society of Artists, exhibiting portraits in oil and pastel, and attracting a number of prominent aristocratic patrons, including the Duke of Manchester, the Marquess of Granby, and Lord Grosvenor, for whom he painted some of his most controversial pictures. Urged by his patrons, Peters painted a series of quasi-erotic character studies of courtesans, which at that time were quite unusual in Britain. These controversial pictures were eagerly reproduced by industrious printmaker/publishers such as Smith, and caused a flurry of curious customers to hurry to London print-shops. Following his ordination in 1781, Peters quickly denounced his early erotic pictures as immoral. Upon being appointed Honorary Chaplain to the Royal Academy, Peters expressed a profound regret "that he ever devoted his talents to such subjects". With this in mind, this picture becomes extremely interesting. In this work, Peters continues to observe and appreciate charming subjects in fancy costumes, but eliminates the erotic overtones present in his earlier works. Instead he has chosen to depict an age-old moral subject, fortune-telling, an institution in western art since the Renaissance. This print, which is expertly engraved by one of the finest eighteenth century printmakers, is a fascinating view into a turbulent period in Peters' life, when he struggled to produce images that would appeal to his viewers while remaining true to his moral beliefs. D'Oench, Copper into Gold: Prints by John Raphael Smith 1751-1812 p. 224, No. 274; Smith Catalogue No. 135 & 136; Ackermann 1802, p. 9 , described as companion prints; Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits [Ward], 97, [Smith], 186; Frankau, An 18th Century Artist and Engraver: John Raphael Smith 146.
Editore: Published by John Raphael Smith, London, 1801
Da: Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, NY, U.S.A.
Arte / Stampa / Poster
Mezzotint with roulette, coloured by hand. Image size: 17 1/4 x 21 1/2 inches. A touching scene after Morland: 'a master of genre and animal painting, an artist worthy to be placed in the same rank as the best of those Dutch masters whom he studied as a boy' (DNB) This print is a wonderful example of the manner in which Morland perfectly conveys the hardships and beauties of country life, his depiction of a poor country family battling the hardships of winter shows the bitter side of the pastoral life with grace and sympathy. George Morland was one of the most successful genre painters of his time, creating, during his industrious career, some of England's most cherished paintings. At an early age Morland displayed his artistic genius, he learned to paint at three and exhibited his first work at the Royal Academy at the mere age of ten. Morland was a prodigious painter, producing more than 4000 paintings during the entirety of his career, and sometimes painting two or three works in a day. His beautiful idealistic scenes were a favorite source of inspiration for contemporary engravers, and as many as 250 separate engravings were done of his paintings during his lifetime. One such engraver was John Raphael Smith, who throughout his career translated many of Morland's paintings to print. Smith was a highly influential figure in the late eighteenth-century British art world, he quickly became an impresario of the print-publishing trade producing nearly 400 prints during his lifetime, 130 of which were of his own design. This beautiful print refelects both the talents of the engraver and the genius of the artist, in its sentiment and execution it demonstrates the best of English genre.