Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11

James Gillray
"A Great Man on The Turf": A 19th Century James Gillray Hand-colored Etching

1803

$1,575
£1,184.27
€1,375.23
CA$2,199.45
A$2,439.36
CHF 1,281.03
MX$29,957.05
NOK 16,216.64
SEK 15,292.51
DKK 10,260.72
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

This framed hand-colored etching and aquatint entitled "A Great Man on The Turf or Sir Solomon in all his Glory" by James Gillray was published in London by Hanna Humphrey, 27 St. James Street on July 7th 1803. The print is signed in the plate in the lower right. It depicts a man, possibly a caricature of the racehorse breeder Sir Solomon. However, there has been some controversy about the identity of the central figure on the mound. Traditionally the man has been thought to represent John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, a prominent politician and statesman. The figure is standing on a mound facing to the right, watching a race on a cloudy day. He wears his horse riding costume, including spurs on his boots and a riding-switch in his right hand. Three horses race in the background with crowds of tiny cheering figures in the distance, some on foot and others on horseback. This Gillray etching is held by many museums, including: The British Museum, The National Portrait Gallery and The Yale University Museum of Art. This hand-colored Gillray satirical etching and aquatint is presented in a gold-colored ornamental frame with a cream-colored French mat. It is glazed with UV conservation glass. The frame measures 23.13 in height, 19.13" in width and maximum of 1.88" in depth. There is some faint spotting, but the print is otherwise in very good condition. James Gillray (1756-1815) was a British caricaturist/satirist and printmaker who was popular in his time and he is still famous for his political and social satire. He has been called "the father of the political cartoon". His satirical targets included King George III, Napoleon, as well as prime ministers and generals. He is one of the most accomplished of a large number of important British caricaturists, including William Hogarth, Thomas Rowlandson, Isaac and George Cruikshank and the Vanity Fair artists, such as Leslie Ward (Spy). His works were published by Hanna Humphrey and often were displayed in her London gallery window when they were completed.
  • Creator:
    James Gillray (1757 - 1815, British)
  • Creation Year:
    1803
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 23.13 in (58.76 cm)Width: 19.13 in (48.6 cm)Depth: 1.88 in (4.78 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Alamo, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: # 10411stDibs: LU117328819542

More From This Seller

View All
"Playing in Parts": A 19th Century James Gillray Hand-colored Musical Caricature
By James Gillray
Located in Alamo, CA
This hand-colored etching and aquatint caricature entitled "Playing in Parts" by James Gillray was published in London by Hanna Humphrey, 27 St. James Street on May 15th 1801. The print is signed in the plate in the lower right. This is a rare musical caricature. It depicts five amateur musicians, a woman and four men, performing their music in a drawing room. A young overweight woman dressed in white is seated in the center, playing a piano...
Category

Early 19th Century Portrait Prints

Materials

Etching

Bow Street Office: Rowlandson Hand-colored Engraving from Microcosm of London
By Thomas Rowlandson
Located in Alamo, CA
An early 19th century print entitled "Bow Street Office", an illustration (Plate 11) from "The Microcosm of London", published in London in 1808 by R. Acker...
Category

Early 1800s Other Art Style Interior Prints

Materials

Aquatint, Etching

"Scene _ Country Fair": A Framed Early 19th Century Engraving by George Hunt
By George Hunt
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a framed colored engraving entitled "Scene _ Country Fair" by George Hunt, published in London in 1825. It depicts a gathering of people at an early 19th century county fair, presumably in England. A majority of the crowd are turned away, watching a performance on a stage in the background. In the foreground a man is in conversation with a couple. The man wears a top hat and the woman is holding a baby. They are dressed in the typical attire of the middle class at that time. The engraving is presented in a brown wood frame and a double mat, with a cream-colored outer mat and a light cranberry...
Category

Early 19th Century Landscape Prints

Materials

Engraving

Her Majesty's Stag Hounds on Ascot, A Colored 19th Century British Hunting Scene
Located in Alamo, CA
"The Meeting of Her Majesty's Stag Hounds on Ascot Heath" is a large colorful mezzotint engraving of an extensive British hunting scene. It was created by Sir Francis Grant...
Category

1830s Landscape Prints

Materials

Engraving, Mezzotint

An early 19th C. satirical etching of John Bull kneeling before William Pitt
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an early 19th century hand-colored satirical caricature etching entitled "John Bull and his favourite statue of bronze!!", published and possibly engraved in London in 1802 by William Holland (1757-1815). It depicts John Bull (symbolizing the English people) kneeling in profile before William Pitt, who was prime minister of England at the time, and for whom the American city of Pittsburgh was named. Pitt is standing, pretending to be a statue. A rectangular pedestal beneath Pitt is inscribed: "Erected by Voluntary Subscription!" Pitt's body seems elongated, reminding that this a caricature. He is standing, looking to the left, his aristocratic nose held high in apparent arrogance and his hands are deep in his pockets, with his hat under his right arm. John Bull, is dressed simply for the time. He is on in his knees in a gesture of supplication, as if in prayer or begging for some action from a deity. He is holding his hat in both hands, looking up at Pitt. Trees and bushes are seen in the background. A caption showing John Bull's words in the upper left ironically reads: "O Wonderful Man! - how I revere thy sublime resemblance. - what obligations I am under to thee! what happy times thou hast brought about! Bread for nothing! Beef 3d per pound! Porter 3d per pot! a Goose 2 shillings! and a fat Turkey 3s.6d!! - whit every thing else cheap in proportion! - besides the wonderful decrease of Taxes!! - O Dear - O Dear I hardly know how to express myself, I feel so enraptured. - O that fine brass countenance how it shines with conscious Integrity!" The engraving is presented in a gold-colored wood frame and a tan-colored mat, with curved upper corners. The frame measures 18" high, 13.13" wide and 0.5" deep. The framing and mounting utilizes acid-free archival materials and it is glazed with UV conservation clear glass. There are a few faint areas of discoloration and spotting and an apparent short barely visible crease in the lower right corner of the inscription area. The print is otherwise in very good condition. William Holland was printmaker as well as a prominent dealer of satirical prints in London in late 18th and early 19th century. He carried works by the best known satirists of the time: Gillray, Rowlandson, Newton and Woodward, as well as his own creations. Holland along with the other prominent print-sellers of the time, Hannah Humphrey and Samuel Fores, were responsible for promoting the golden age of British caricature...
Category

Early 19th Century Portrait Prints

Materials

Etching

18th Century Hand Colored Engraving of a Camel from Pennant's " British Zoology"
Located in Alamo, CA
An 18th Century Hand Colored Engraving of a Camel from Thomas Pennant's famous publication on natural history "The British Zoology, Published under the Inspection of the Cymmrodorion...
Category

1760s Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Engraving

You May Also Like

General Sir Eire Coote - Original Water-colored Lithograph - 1816
Located in Roma, IT
General Sir Eire Coote is an original print realized in 1816 ca. Original mixed colored hand watercolored lithograph . Title printed on plate on the lower margin. Published by Ric...
Category

Early 19th Century Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph

The Prince Regent of Great Britain - Original Water-Colored Lithograph - 1816
Located in Roma, IT
The Prince Regent of Great Britain is an original print realized in 1816 ca. Original mixed colored hand water-colored lithograph. Title printed on pla...
Category

Early 19th Century Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph

Hand Coloured 18th Century Copper engraving from "Small Riding School" No 26
Located in Cotignac, FR
Mid 18th century hand coloured copper plate engraving of an equestrian subject by Johann Elias Ridinger. Initial signed 'in the plate' bottom right. Presented in a fine gilt wood fra...
Category

Mid-18th Century Rococo Animal Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Ink

Fortune Hunting
By James Gillray
Located in Middletown, NY
A richly hand-colored image with a counterstrike on the verso. London: Hannah Humphrey, 1804. Etching with hand coloring in watercolor on buff wove paper, 10 1/4 x 15 inches (260 x...
Category

Early 19th Century English School Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching, Watercolor

General Lord Hill - Original Lithograph by John Romney - 1814
Located in Roma, IT
General Lord Hill is an original print realized by John Romney (1786-1863) in the 1814. Original hand watercolored lithograph . Title printed on plate on...
Category

1810s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Antique Print of General Rowland Hill by Evans, '1815'
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique print titled 'Lieut General Lord Hill, K.B'. Rare, original antique print of General Rowland Hill, a British Army officer who served in the Napoleoni...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century Prints

Materials

Paper