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Description: | bound volume (dimensions 54 x 38 x 6) inscr. on plate beneath image 'Godfridus Kneller Eques. / Gulielmi & Mariae Magnae Britanniae Regis & Reginae Pictorum Princeps / Offerebat Humillissimus Servus Johannes Smith"; inscr. on page t.r. hand-written in brown ink "2" CRE SMITH, John; (English; 1652-1743) AFTER KNELLER, Godfrey, Sir; (English; 1646-1723) 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 was key to his success. From around 1690 almost all engravings after portraits by Kneller, were executed by Smith. Smith engraved this portrait of Kneller who, in return, painted Smith's portrait, a mezzotint of which forms a frontispiece to this volume (Glaha 16341). The inscription describes Kneller as Principal Painter to King William and Queen Mary. Another print after a portrait of Kneller by Beckett is also in the volume (Glaha 16343). | 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: | SELF PORTRAIT : HALF-LENGTH : ALBUM : HUNTER 2007 : WIG : PORTRAIT PAINTER : CRAVAT : CHARLES II : WILLIAM III : BARONET : GEORGE I : 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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