18th Century Art

Artist: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (French, 1707-1788) Title: "Euphorbia (Spurge)" (Dodecandrie, Trigynie, Plate 411) Portfolio: Histoire Naturelle Year: 1749-1789 Medium...

This is an early 18th century etching of the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge in Venice entitled "Altra Veduta del Ponte di Rialto" by Domenico Lovisa, f...

This beautiful 18th century hand-colored copper plate engraved map is entitled "Carte de l'Isle de Taiti, par le Lieutenant J. Cook" was created by Jacques Nicolas Bellin and publish...

A Cart Race Hand colored etching & aquatint, 1788 Signed in the plate (see photo) Published by William Hollande, London Inscribed in the plate with title, artist's name and publication line 'Rowlandson. 1788./ London. Pubd 1789 by Wm Holland No 50. Oxford Street.' Reference: M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', VI, 1938) British Museum Satires 7607 Grego, 'Rowlandson', i. 260, Grego II.392 Provenance: Chris Beetles Ltd., London (label), 2003 Jeffrey M. Kaplan, Washington, D.C. (label) Condition: Excellent Archival framing by Chris Beetles Ltd., London Note: The British Museum has two impressions, one trimmed the other full sheet as this example. Accession Number: 1868,0711.35 The Metropolitan Museum has an impression: Accession number 59.533.314 Fitzwilliam Museum: Accession number: 34.14-286 Cleveland Museum of Art accession number: 1958.10 Image description per BM: Three ramshackle two-wheeled carts drawn by wretched horses race (right to left) against a background formed by the church... Note: The British Museum has two impressions, one trimmed the other full sheet as this example. Accession Number: 1868,0711.35 The Metropolitan Museum has an impression: Accession number 59.533.314 Fitzwilliam Museum: Accession number: 34.14-286 Cleveland Museum of Art accession number: 1958.10 Image description per BM: Three ramshackle two-wheeled carts drawn by wretched horses race (right to left) against a background formed by the clouds of dust which they have raised, with a row of gabled houses (right) inscribed 'St Giles', terminating in a church spire (left), and probably representing Broad St. Giles. The occupants of the carts are Irish costermongers typical of St. Giles. The foremost horse gallops, urged on by the shouts of a standing man brandishing a club. The other occupants, two women and a man, cheer derisively the next cart, whose horse has fallen, one woman falling from it head-first, another lies on the ground. The driver lashes the horse furiously. The third cart, of heavier construction, is starting. The horses are partly obscured by the clouds of dust, but denizens watch from casement windows and a door. Two ragged urchins (right) cheer the race; a dog barks. "It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses.A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business. Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humor. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his coarse subjects. He worked mainly in ink and watercolor, his rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art...

This is a large framed very rare hand-colored copperplate mezzotint engraved portrait of William Pitt, the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham by Edward Fisher, published in London in 1779 after a painting by Richard Brompton. Pitt is depicted attired in a flowing regal appearing cape, standing in an ornate room with his left hand outstretched over a serious of manuscripts and scrolls that are laying on a table or desk to his left. The table is covered by a beautiful oriental carpet. The manuscripts include the Magna Carta, a map of the colonies, including Long Island and Staten Island, and papers entitled "A Plan for the Reconciliation between Great Britain and the Colonies", "A Motion Made in 1775 for the Recall of Troops from Boston", "A Provisional Act for Settling the Troubles in America Offered to the House of Lords in 1775", and "It is doing Nothing to repeal a few Scraps of Paper or Pieces of Parchment called Acts of Parliament. But our Business is to repeal the Ill-Will and the Animosity unfortunately now subsisting between Great Britain and North America". This engraving is held by the British Museum and the British Royal Collection Trust. This large framed mezzotint engraving is presented in a brown wood frame with gold-colored beaded inner and outer trim, and a cream-colored French mat. The frame measures 31.63" high by 26.63" wide by 0.75" deep. There are three short tears along the right edge and mild creasing in the left upper, left lower and right lower corners. It is otherwise in very good condition. William Pitt (1708-1778) was a member of the British parliament from 1735 to 1761 and prime minister from 1766 to 1768. Pitt was an advocate for the American colonies leading up to the War of Independence. He called for an amiable relationship between Great Britain and the colonies and opposed the Stamp Act and military action in America. He advocated for a withdrawal of English troops from Boston in 1775 and the settling of troubles in America, as two of his manuscripts on the table outline. Pitt's colleague, Lord Shelburne (later the Marquess of Lansdowne) shared his sympathies and after Pitt's death, signed a peace treaty with the United States in 1782. The American city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is named for William Pitt, the Elder. The name originated when the conflict between the British and French over territorial claims in the Northeast were settled in 1758. General John Forbes and his British army, supported by the American colonial troops, expelled the French from Fort Duquesne (which had been constructed by the French in 1754). Forbes re-named the site for William Pitt the Elder, who at the time was a British statesman. The earliest known reference to the new name, Pittsburgh, is in a letter sent from General John Forbes to Pitt, dated November 27, 1758. Pitt's son, William Pitt, the Younger, like his father, also served as British Prime Minister. Edward Fisher (1730-1785) was born in Ireland in 1730. He was originally a hatter, but learned engraving in London. He became a member of the Incorporated Society of Artists in 1766, and exhibited there fourteen times between 1761 and 1776. He engraved more than sixty portraits. In addition to this portrait of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, after Richard Brompton he engraved several portraits after Brompton, including George, Earl of Albemarle, as well as engraved portraits after paintings by Joshua Reynolds, including the Shakespearean actor David Garrick, Hugh, Earl of Northumberland, and Elizabeth, Countess of Northumberland and Laurence Sterne, and Hope Nursing Love, as well as Robert Brown, after Mason Chamberlin, Colley Cibber, after Jean-Baptiste van Loo, Christian VII of Denmark, after Nathaniel Dance, Simon, Earl Harcourt, after Hunter, Roger Long, after Benjamin Wilson...

This is an original 18th Century copper plate engraved portrait of Captain James Cook as a young man. It was engraved by J. Basire after a painting by William Hodges, published in London by W. Strahan and T. Cadell in the Strand in 1777 as the frontispiece to the official journal publication of Cook's 2nd voyage of discovery, "A voyage towards the South Pole, and round the World. Performed in His Majesty's ships the Resolution and Adventure, in the years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775". The journal was written by James Cook, Commander of the Resolution, which was the ship used for the voyage and William Hodges, who was the artist on board the ship. This famous image has been used in many articles and tributes to Captain Cook, including a Norfolk Island stamp celebrating his many accomplishments. This engraved head-and-shoulders portrait of Captain Cook is enclosed in an oval with the appearance of a stone border. Captain Cook is dressed in his naval dress uniform, with a topcoat over a lace shirt. The engraving is printed on watermarked laid, chain-linked paper. The sheet measures 11.5" high x 9" wide. There is some spotting, most prominently in the margins. The print is otherwise in excellent condition. Captain James Cook (1728-1779) was an English explorer, navigator, surveyor and cartographer, who dramatically changed what was known about the world through his three voyages of discovery in the 1770's. Cook's achievements are too numerous to include here, but for example, Cook charted much of the Pacific Ocean and discovered many island groups, including the Hawaiian islands, which he named the Sandwich Islands, in honor of the head of the British Admiralty and a patron of Cook's. Cook was the first European to explore the eastern coast of Australia, and he was the first to map the New Zealand coastline. He sailed farther south than any other explorer before him, disproving the belief that a huge land mass occupied the South Pole. He also explored the northwest coast of North America, including present day Alaska and adjacent portions of Russia. He proved that the Northwest Passage did not exist. Cook was an exceptional seaman, navigator and leader of men, which contributed to the success of his explorations, but also saved his ship and crew on many occasions when faced with challenges, such as storms in previously unexplored waters, like occurred in the Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of Australia. He is also the first to require his crew to eat citrus fruit which markedly reduced the incidence of survey, which had led to large scale illness and death during earlier ocean voyages. As outstanding as Cook's skills were, they are even more impressive since they were self-taught. Having grown up the son of a farmhand in Northern England he had only four years of formal schooling. He taught himself astronomy, mathematics and other disciplines which were helpful when he continued his education, first in the merchant marine and then in the British Navy. Cook's adventurous career came to a sudden and unfortunate end in 1779, when he was killed in a confrontation with Hawaiian natives...

"Lingbi - One Hole Scholar's Rock"' is a sculpture, stone on wood base from the Late Qing Dynasty, China.

This is an 18th century etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi entitled "Veduta del Tempio detto della Tosse su la Via Tiburtina, un miglio vicino a Tivoli" (View of the so-called Tem...

Engraving of Veduta della Piazza di S. Marco, verso L'Horologio by Pierre van der Aa. Printed in 1722. Unsigned. Unframed. Image size, 11 x 13 5/8 in. Has the original center crease.

A Japanese embroidery from the Edo Period. “Figure of a Beauty” is a portrait embroidery, silk and gold thread in golds and grays. Provenance: Priv...

This framed original 18th century etching is entitled "Fregio antico di marmo con Ippogrifi, nel cortile del palazzo della Valle" (Ancient Marble Frieze with Hippogriffs in the Courtyard of The Palace of the Valley). The etching is by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, published in Rome in 1778. It is from Piranesi's monumental work "Vasi, Candelabri, Cippi, Sarcofagi, Tripodi, Lucerne, Ed Ornamenti Antichi", (Vases, candelabra, grave stones...

This is an 18th century etching of the Patriarchal Church or Basilica of S. Pietro di Castello in Venice entitled "Chiesa Patriarcale di S. Pietro di Castello" by Domenico Lovisa, fi...

This is an 18th century hand-colored map of the western portions of North America entitled "Carte de la Californie et des Pays Nord-Ouest separés de l'Asie par le détroit d'Anian, ex...

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Artist: James Sowerby (English, 1757-1822) Title: "Aquilegia Vulgaris (Common Columbine)" (Plate 297) Portfolio: English Botany Year: 1796 Medium: Original Hand-Colored Engraving on ...

Artist: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (French, 1707-1788) Title: "Baccharis (Baccharises); Chrysocoma (Golden Bitter Bush)" (Syngenesie; Polygamie, Plate 698) Portfolio: His...

This is an 18th century engraved portrait of Brooke Cobham, a nobleman in King Henry VIII's court, created by Francesco Bartolozzi (1728–1815), after a drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497- 1543) in the 16th century. Holbein was the official artist in the court of King Henry VIII. Bartolozzi used both etching and stipple engraving techniques to create the work which was then was printed in color on pink paper and hand finished with watercolor. It was published by John Chamberlaine in London in 1793 in "The Book of Imitations of Original Drawings by Hans Holbein in the Collection of His Majesty". Sir George Brooke, Baron Cobham (1497-1558) was a prominent member of King Henry VIII's royal court. He became a member of parliament in 1529 and served as a peer in the trial of Queen Anne Boleyn, which resulted in her beheading. He was rewarded for his political and military service to King Henry and Britain with land, castles and former monasteries and was made a Knight of the Garter, a prestigious membership limited to the king and a very limited number of prominent British subjects. As a member of the Privy Council following the death of young King Edward VI (Henry VIII's son), he fell out of favor when he signed a ruling disinheriting both of Henry VIII's daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, in favor of Lady Jane Grey...

Seba, Albertus. Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri accurata descriptio, et iconibus artificiossimis expressio, per universam physices historiam. Amsterdam, Wetsten, Smith, Jans...

(MADE TO ORDER) (Sabbath, Kiddush, Unique, Gold Luster) *Lead Time may vary between 1-3 weeks Melanie Sherman "Just A Little Tipsy" Year: 2021 Porcelain, Glaze, ChinaPaint, 24k Germ...

Seba, Albertus. Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri accurata descriptio, et iconibus artificiossimis expressio, per universam physices historiam. Amsterdam, Wetsten, Smith, Jans...

These two Giovanni Battista Piranesi 18th century etchings of fireplace designs on one sheet is plate 6 from his publication 'Diverse Maniere d'adornare i cammini ed ogni altra parte degli edifizi desunte dall'architettura Egizia, Etrusca, e Greca con un Ragionamento Apologetico in defesa dell'Architettura Egizia, e Toscana, opera del Cavaliere Giambattista Piranesi...

FRANCISCO de GOYA y LUCIENTES (1746 -1828) OBSEQUIO á el MAESTRO (‘A gift for the master’) Plate 47 from the 1st edition of Los Caprichos (Blas, ...

A hand-colored copper plate engraving depicting flowering "Melocactos" (Turk's Cap Cactus or Mother-in-law's Cushion), "Rosa Hiericontea aperta" (Rose of Jericho Unfolded), "Rosa Hie...

Circle of or a follower of Ferdinand Bol - (1616-1680) (PHILOSOPHER READING) ca 1700 Etching on thin laid paper attached to support sheet at the top sh...

This is an 18th century copperplate engraved portrait of Joseph Addison, Esq. by Jacobus Houbraken after a painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller, from "The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain", published in London in 1748 by John & Paul Knapton. It depicts a bust portrait of Addison in an ornamental oval. He is turned to his right, but he is looking directly at the viewer. He is wearing a dark coat over a white shirt. Below the oval are items relating to plays, music, as well as the rod of Asclepius and books lying in foreground on the right. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. he founded The Spectator magazine with his friend Richard Steele. In 1712, Addison wrote his most famous work, "Cato, a Tragedy". It focussed on the last days of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis, He was dealing with issues of individual liberty versus government tyranny. The play was particularly popular in America. It is credited as an inspiration for the American Revolution. General George Washington had Cato performed for the Continental Army at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78. Several famous quotations from the American Revolution were inspired by passages in Cato, including: Patrick Henry's famous "Give me liberty or give me death!", inspired by Act II, Scene 4: "It is not now time to talk of aught, But chains or conquest, liberty or death.") and Nathan Hale...

A supberb impression of this extremely scarce and early color etching after Jan van Huysum. With the artist's ink stamp.

This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving depicting flowering "Hyacinthus Comosus Spurius" (Hyacinth), "Hyacinthus Anglicus" (Blue Hyacinth), "Palma ...

This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving depicting flowering "Hyosciamus albus and Hyosciamus vulgaris" (Henbane) plants from Basilius Besler's landmark work, Hortus Eystettensi...

Artist: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (French, 1707-1788) Title: "Mimufops (Mimusops); Ibricaria (Shingle Oak)" (Octandreie, Monogynie, Plate 300) Portfolio: Histoire Nature...

Seba, Albertus. Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri accurata descriptio, et iconibus artificiossimis expressio, per universam physices historiam. Amsterdam, Wetsten, Smith, Jans...

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Artist: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (French, 1707-1788) Title: "Abolboda; Elodea (Waterweeds); Lepidosperma (Hoary Rapier-Sedge)" (Triandrie Monogynie, Plate 905) Portfoli...

This is a hand-colored copper-plate engraving entitled "Gelsiminum Catalonicum, Mairana Latifollia, Euphasiaramosa Pratensis Flore Albo, Euphasia Minus Ramosa Flore Excereruleo Purpurascente", depicting flowering Jasmine, Mountain Laurel...

This is an 18th century copperplate engraved portrait of the 17th century physician and scientist Thomas Willis, MD from "The Heads of Illustrious Person...

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Artist: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (French, 1707-1788) Title: "Atraphaxis (Shrub); Cabomba (Carolina Fanwort)" (Hexandrie, Digynie, Plate 265) Portfolio: Histoire Naturel...

Here is a set of four 18th century Italian paintings depicting various romantic dramas. All four painted in old world style and presented in the original stretchers and frames. Findi...

Early 19th century hand colored engraving of Chinese life. Original print from "The punishments of China" illustrated by twenty-two engravings by Mason, George Henry; Dadley, J. P. P...

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(MADE TO ORDER) (Sabbath, Kiddush, Unique, Gold Luster) *Lead Time may vary between 1-3 weeks Melanie Sherman "Just A Little Tipsy" Year: 2021 Porcelai...

The sitter is Mary Charlotte Anne Wellesly-Pole, eldest daughter of William, 4th Earl of Mornington and niece to the Duke of Wellington. This is one of Hoppner's best works. The sitt...

This is a rare 18th Century hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Der Storch Ciconia" (White Stork) by Johann Leonhard Frisch is plate 19...

Pair of Antique Paintings With Cherubs After Francois Boucher (1703-1770) Boucher is known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories, and pastoral scenes. Pair of charming late 18th or early 19th Century oil paintings with Putti playing with bow and arrow...

Original copper engraving hand-colored at the time of publication. Nuremberg, 1720.

WILLIAM HOGRTH (1697 - 1764) MR. GARRICK IN THE CHARACTER OF RICHARD THE 3RD (Shakespear Act 5 Scene 7) (Paulson 1970.165 ii/ii; Paulson 1989.165 ii/ii;, Dobson and Armstrong p. 20...

El Vergponzoso (The Shamefaced One) etching & aquatint, 1799 Unsigned (as are all Goya etchings) From: Los Caprichos, Plate 54 From the First Edition, pri...

Pair of rare Botanical Hand Colored Engravings about 1737-1745 Beautifully framed French hand painted mat, in gold leaf frame each print measure 9.5x14.5 Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1...

Engraving of Veduta della Piazza di S. Marco, versoil Canale by Pierre van der Aa. Printed in 1722. Unsigned. Unframed. Image size, 11 x 13 5/8 in. Has the original center crease.

Artist: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (French, 1707-1788) Title: "Picris (Sunflower); Helmintia (Bristly Oxtongue)" (Syngenesie; Polygamie, Plate 648) Portfolio: Histoire Na...

This original first edition hand-colored lithograph entitled "Canada Goose" was produced by J. T. Bowen after a drawing by John James Audubon. It was published in Audubon's first oct...

Adoration of the Shepherds after Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640), engraved by Pierre-Franois Basan (French, 1723-1797), engraving, c. 1750, in black on ivory laid paper, 282 x 200 mm., with small margins. In very good condition. A fine proof impression, before letters. A draft printing of letters is visible, lower left, below image: “P P Rubens inv.”; lower right: “F. Basan excudit”. Basan’s engraving after Rubens may be modeled after another engraving of the Adoration after Rubens by Theodor Galle (1571-1633), which appeared as an illustration to the 1618 reprint of 1616 edition of “Missale Romanum...

This is an 18th century copperplate engraved portrait of Sir Francis Bacon, Viscount St. Albans, Lord Chancellor by Jacobus Houbraken in 1738 after a p...

This large 18th century etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi is entitled "Vaso antico di Marmo adornato di eccellenti Sculture si nella parte anteriere che nell' opposta, le quail r...

The two plates in this set were created utilizing both engraving and etching techniques by William Hogarth in 1753, originally as illustrations of his book on aesthetics, entitled "Analysis of Beauty". Due to their popularity, these plates were later published separately. The publication line in the lower right reads: "Designed, Engraved, and Publish'd by Wm. Hogarth, March 5th 1753, according to Act of Parliament." Hogarth's original copper plates were refurbished where needed by James Heath and engravings were republished in London in 1822 by Braddock, Cradock & Joy. This was the last time Hogarth's copper plates were used for printing. Most were melted during World War I for the construction of bombs. These large folio sized "Analysis of Beauty" engravings are presented in antiqued gold-colored frames with double mats; the outer silk mats are light brown-colored and the inner mats are dark brown. Each frame measures 27.38" x 31.25" x 1.13". There is one tiny spot in the right margin of plate 1 and another in the lower margin; the latter could be from the printing process. The prints are otherwise in excellent condition. The "Analysis of Beauty" series is in the collection of many major museums, including: The British Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Tate Museum, The Chicago Art Institute and The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The first engraving (Plate 1) depicts a courtyard of statues which is filled with some of the most famous works of classical sculpture. The most important sculptures are surrounded by less impressive works. The Medicean Venus (#13) is in the center with a statue of Julius Caesar (#19) to the right, elevated on a pulley with a short, overdressed Brutus stands over the falling Caesar. The Apollo Belvedere (#12) is next. A judge stands to the right with his foot on a cherub (#16). Another crying cherub holds a gallows and wipes his tears with the judge's robe. A sphinx (#21) and the drunken Silenus (#107) are below the Venus. Michaelangelo's torso (#54) and a statue of Antonius (#6) are seen in the foreground. The Farnese Hercules (#3) and a bust of another Hercules (#4) under two statuettes of Isis are also included in the scene. The key to these objects is included in the form of a serpentine line winding around a cone (#26), Hogarth's "Line of Beauty". For Hogarth the winding line is an essential element of beauty in art. Hogarth's theory of beauty is communicated in this plate. Plate 2 is thought to represent the Wanstead Assembly, with the Earl of Tynley and his household. It is an adaptation of a scene in the Happy Marriage series, which complements Hogarth's Marriage à la Mode...

The legendary Greek god Perseus is the subject of this elegant half-bust by Ubaldo Gandolfi, a major painter and sculptor from Bologna. The son of Zeus and Danaë, Perseus was the le...

This is a rare 18th Century hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Wasserhuhn" (Coot) by Johann Leonhard Frisch , which is plate 208 from ...

Bernard Picart, 'The Deluge' from 'The Temple of the Muses', engraving, 1730. Signed in the plate and dated '1730' lower left. Titled in French, English, German, and Dutch. A superb...

Bernard Picart, 'The Death of Hercules' from 'The Temple of the Muses', engraving, 1730. Signed in the plate, lower left. Titled in French, English, German, and Dutch. A superb, rich...