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Description: | bound volume (dimensions 54 x 38 x 7 cms) inscr. on plate b.c. "Sta. Catharina"; inscr. on plate b.l. "G. Kneller Eques pinx:"; inscr. b.r. "I. Smith fe: et exc:"; inscr. on page t.r. hand-written in brown ink "17" CRE SMITH, John; (English; 1652-1743) PUB 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. The remaining third are subject prints after a wide range of artists and subjects, from mythological and religious scenes after old Italian and Dutch and Flemish masters such as Titian and Rubens to fancy subjects after contemporary French and English painters.
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 first half of the 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.
The sitter was identified in 1793 as the actress and singer Letitia Cross (c. 1682-1737) although she has the appearance of Agnes Voss who was Kneller's model and mistress. 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: | KNELLER : MRS CROSS : MRS VOSS : PORTRAIT : MODEL : MISTRESS : SAINT : SAINT CATHERINE : BIBLE : NEW TESTAMENT : WHEEL : MARTYR'S PALM : MISS VOSS : MARTYR : ALEXANDRIA : 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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