Lot 74
Engraved by Thomas Ryder I (British, 1756-1810) & Charles Gauthier Playter (British, before 1786-1809 Lewisham) after painting by Robert Smirke (British, Wigton, Cumberland 1752/531845 London). "Shakespeare. Measure for Measure. Act II. Scene I." Published April 23, 1798 by John & Josiah Boydell (British, 1786-1804) at the Shakespeare Gallery, Pall Mall & No. 90 Cheapfide. An original stipple engraving from Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery. According to the curatorial team of the Metropolitan Musuem of Art, "Offering humorous relief to a dark discussion of justice in Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure,' Escalus judges two foolish characters--the tapster Froth, and clownish bawd Pompey. They have been brought to court by Elbow, a constable who stands at right, and the engraving reproduces Smirke's painting now in the collection of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon." Size: 23.25" W x 17" H (59.1 cm x 43.2 cm) Size: 29" W x 23.125" H (73.7 cm x 58.7 cm)
Josiah Boydell, born in Hawarden, Flintshire (northeast Wales), moved to London in 1766 to apprentice himself to his uncle John Boydell; he later became John's partner at his publishing house. Together they created the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery, a project created in an effort to foster a school of British history painting (the Boydells were very worried about the French surpassing the English in this regard). Their plans included producing an illustrated version of Shakespeare's plays and a folio of prints based on paintings done by different contemporary painters. During the 1790s, they showed these paintings at their London gallery, which was incredibly popular, capitalizing on renewed interest in Shakespeare's works in the late 18th century. The London press reported weekly on the building of the gallery on Pall Mall. Now, most of the original paintings have been lost, making the engravings from the folio the major surviving record of this fascinating effort.
Provenance: private Lucille Lucas collection, Crested Butte, Colorado, USA
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#134190
- Condition: Age wear to the margins - tears, creases, and stains as shown. Still the image is strong and the text in the ledger is vivid.
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