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Description: | bound volume (dimensions 54 x 38 x 7) title inscr. on plate b.c. "Her Grace the Dutchess of Marlborough"; inscr. on plate b.l. "G. Kneller S.R.Imp. Ang Eques aur. pinx 1705."; s. on plate b.c. "I. Smith fec."; inscr. br. "Sold by I. Smith at ye Lyon and Crown in Russel Street Covent Garden" CRE SMITH, John; (English; 1652-1743) AFTER KNELLER, Godfrey, Sir; (English; 1646-1723) PUB SMITH, John; (English; 1652-1743) Part of William Hunter's original bequest, this is one of three volumes which together contain 488 mezzotints, almost all made or published by John Smith. About two thirds are portraits of eminent late Stuart, early Hanoverian persons, and one third fancy and mythological subjects.
Instrumental in raising the standard of mezzotint portraits, Smith was the first British printmaker to gain a European reputation, and examples of his work were essential for any serious early to mid 18th century European print collection.
Hunter's set of volumes is a rare surviving example of a comprehensive collection of mezzotints compiled in the 1730s.
Smith's close association with leading portrait painter Godfrey Kneller, author of this portrait, was key to his success. From around 1690 almost all engravings after portraits by Kneller, were executed by Smith.
This portrait of Sarah Churchill was made during the years in which she was one of Queen Anne's closest advisors but the relationship later deteriorated and she was stripped of her offices. She was married to the Duke of Marlborough a great general in the British army and a diplomat who found favour with the Jacobites and the Hanoverians. A smaller, reversed version of this portrait appears later in volume two which contains portraits of a number of influential duchesses. | License: | http://www.hmag.gla.ac.uk/spirit/rights/ | Publisher: | Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow | Rights holder: | Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow | Subjects: | PORTRAIT : HALF-LENGTH : ALBUM : OVAL : ERMINE : DUCHESS : MARLBOROUGH : VOLUME : HUNTER VOLUME : | Source: | Hunterian Museum | Creator: | Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow | Identifier: | http://www.huntsearch.gla.ac.uk/cgi-bin/... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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