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Description: | bound volume (dimensions 54 x 38 x 6) inscr. on plate below image "His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales &c."; inscr. on plate b.l. "G.Kneller S.R.Imp. et Mag. Brit. Baronets. Pinx. 1716."; inscr. on plate b.c. "Ab Originali J. Smith Fecit. 1717."; inscr. on plate b.r. "Sold by I. Smith at ye Lyon & Crown in Russell-Street Covent Garden"; inscr. on page t.r. hand-written in brown ink "26" 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.
George II of the Hanoverian dynasty reigned from 1727 to1760. This print is after a portrait painted in 1716 by Kneller while George was still Prince of Wales. Smith published an altered version after he succeeded to the throne in 1727 (Glaha 16367). As for many of Smith's Royal portraits, there is a smaller, reversed version of this print in volume two. 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. | 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 : | 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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