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Description: | bound volume (dimensions 54 x 38 x 6) inscr. on plate below image "George Lewis D.G. Elector of Brunswick & of the Holy / Roman Empire, Son to the most Illustrious Princess Sophia / Born 28. May 1666"; inscr. on plate b.l. "I. Hirseman" and "I. Smith. fec"; inscr. on plate b.r. "Sold by I. Smith at the Lyon and Crown in Russell Street Covent Garden"; inscr. on page t.r. hand-written in brown ink "23" CRE SMITH, John; (English; 1652-1743) AFTER HIRSCHMANN, Johann Leonhard; (German; 1672-1750) 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 Lewis was the son of Sophia Electress of Hanover and succeeded to the throne on the death of Queen Anne becoming the first monarch from the Hanoverian dynasty. He reigned from 1714 to1727. The original portrait was painted by German artist Johann Leonhard Hirschmann who trained with leading English portrait Godfrey Kneller, many of whose paintings Smith engraved. Smith created a set of Royal portraits covering the Stuart and Hanoverian dynasties up to George II. | 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 : ARMOUR : ERMINE : PRINCESS SOPHIA : VOLUME : HUNTER VOLUME : LUDWIG : | 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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