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Description: | bound volume (dimensions 54 x 38 x 7) title inscr. on plate b.c. "The Lady Elizabeth Willmot."; inscr. on plate b.l. "W. Wissing / I. Vandervaart Pinxit."; s. on plate b.c. "I. Smith fecit."; inscr. on plate b.r. "Cum Privilegio Regis: Sold by Thos. Bowles in St. Pauls Church Yard / London" CRE SMITH, John; (English; 1652-1743) AFTER WISSING, William; (Dutch; 1653-1687) AFTER VAARDT, Jan van der; (Dutch; 1647-1721) PUB BOWLES, Thomas; (English; c. 1695-1767) 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.
This print is after a portrait by Dutch artist Willem Wissing who was an assistant to Sir Peter Lely, after whose death he became England's leading portrait painter until his own early death at 31. It was engraved by Jan Vandervaart one of the Dutch mezzotinters under whom Smith trained. This engraving is perhaps a copy Smith made of Vandervaart's engraving.
Elizabeth Willmot was the daughter of the Earl of Montagu. She later married Edward Montagu, becoming Countess of Sandwich. Her portrait is included in the second volume among other portraits of the wives and daughters of eminent men. | 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 : THREE-QUARTER LENGTH : ALBUM : SITTING : EARRING : CROOK : LADY : LAMB : FLOWERS : JOHN WILMOT : EARL OF ROCHESTER : CHARLES II : EDWARD MONTAGU : EARL OF SANDWICH : LORD HINCHINBROOK : 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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