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Description: | bound volume (dimensions 54 x 38 x 6) inscr. on plate below image "Jacobus Secundus Dei Gratia. Angliae, Scotiae, / Franciae, et Hiberiae Rex. &ct."; inscr. on plate b.l. "G. Kneller Pinxit"; inscr. on plate b.c. "I. Smith fecit"; inscr. on plate b.r. "Sold by I. Smith at the Lyon and Crown in Russel Street Covent Garden"; inscr. on page t.r. hand-written in brown ink "10" 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.
James II of the Stuart dynasty reigned from 1685 until the invasion of William of Orange in 1688. 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. The print is part of a set of Royal portraits which Smith engraved in two sizes and a smaller, reversed version of this print is included in the second volume. | 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 : ERMINE : KING : JAMES II : MARY BEATRIX : 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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