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Description: | bound volume (dimensions 54 x 38 x 6) inscr. on plate below image "Carolus II. dus D:G: Ang: Sco: Fra: et Hib: Rex / Fidei Defensor. &c."; inscr. on plate b.l. "G. Kneller pinx:"; inscr. on plate b.r. "Sold by I. Smith at ye Lyon and Crown in Russel Street Covent Garden."; inscr. on page t.r. hand-written in brown ink "8" CRE WILLIAMS, Robert; (Welsh; active 1680-1704) 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 together containing 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.
Charles II of the Stuart dynasty, reigned from1660 to 1685. This print is after a portrait by leading portrait painter Godfrey Kneller. It was engraved by Robert Williams, one of the earliest English mezzotinters, but Smith, who created a set of Royal portraits covering the Stuart and Hanoverian dynasties up to George II, engraved another, smaller version of the same portrait in reverse and this is included in volume two. | 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 : WIG : LACE CRAVAT : COLLAR : GEORGE : KING : VOLUME : HUNTER VOLUME : STUARTS : | 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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