John Thomas Smith Art

"Ypres, Grand Ville Riche & Marchande" is an engraving and etching by Daniel Marot (le Vieux) (1661–1752). It depicts a view of the siege of the city of Ypres and its citadel on the left in the Spanish Netherlands by Louis XIV's troops. This battle took place between March 18 and March 25, 1678, as part of the Franco-Dutch War. Marot illustrated in great detail (best appreciated with magnification) the French attack on the strong pentagonal citadel on the extreme left, which had been built recently in anticipation of a French attack. The trenches built by the French approaching the town are seen on the right. King Louis XIV can be seen in the foreground surveying the battle mounted on his white horse, surrounded by his officers and troops. The print is presented in an attractive ornate black wood frame with a cream-colored double mat with a black inner trim. It is glazed with plexiglas. The frame measures 25.38" x 22.63" x .88". The engraving, frame, mat and glazing are in excellent condition. Artist: Daniel Marot (1661–1752) was also called "Le Vieux". He was the son of the famous architect, Jean Marot. Marot had diverse interests and talents. In addition to his art, he designed garden projects, architectural ornaments, furniture, and even upholstery. Marot as a Huguenot protestant was forced to leave France in 1685 following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. He emigrated to Holland, where he worked for William of Orange (an arch enemy of his former employer Louis XIV). Marot was largely responsible for the interiors of Williams palace at the Loo. In 1694 he went Britain as William had married Queen Mary and he had become King William III of England. He later returned to Holland in about 1698 and died in the Hague in 1752. He left a lasting legacy on the decorative arts in the Netherlands, where his grand version of the Louis XIV style remained popular into the 1730s. Historical Background: In October 1677, Mary Stuart, niece and possible successor of Charles II of England, married Louis XIV's arch enemy William III of Orange...

A magnificent forest scene with lush, vast foliage along a brook by a master of the Dutch Golden Age. Amsterdam: c1650. Etching on cream laid paper, 5 1/8 x 5 3/4 inches (130 x 147 ...

This large framed 18th century etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi entitled "Veduta della Basilica di S. Lorenzo fuor della mura" (Basilica of San Lorenzo Outside the Walls), published in Rome in 1750 in Piranesi's Vedute di Roma (Views of Rome), This etching depicts the Basilica of San Lorenzo Outside the Walls, which is a Roman Catholic papal basilica and parish church, located in Rome, Italy. The Basilica is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and one of the five "papal basilicas". It was built as a shrine to the martyred Roman deacon St. Lawrence. This Piranesi etching is held by many museums and institutions, including: The Metropolitan Museum, The British Museum, The National Gallery of Art, The Yale University Art Gallery, and The Harvard Museum of Art. This magnificent etching is presented in a brown-colored wood frame and a tan French...

Artist: Colen Campbell (Scottish, 1676-1729) Title: "Royal Hospital att Greenwich to the River" (Vol. 1, Plates 86, 87) Portfolio: Vitruvius Britannicus; or The British Architect, Co...

The four plates in this "Four Times of the Day" set were created utilizing both engraving and etching techniques by William Hogarth in 1738. Hogarth's original copper plates were refurbished where needed by James Heath and these engravings were republished in London in 1822 by Braddock, Cradock & Joy. This was the last time Hogarth's original copper plates were used for printing. Most were melted down during World War I for the construction of bombs. Printed upon early nineteenth century wove paper and with large, full margins as published by William Heath in 1822. The inscription below each print reads "Invented Painted & Engraved by Wm. Hogarth & Publish'd March 25. 1738 according to Act of Parliament". These large folio sized "Four Times of the Day" engravings/etchings are presented in complex gold-colored wood frames with black bands and scalloped gold inner trim. A majority of each thick impressive frame is covered with glass applied near the outer edge. Each frame measures 25.75" high, 22.25" wide and 1.88" deep. There are a few small dents in the edge of these frames, which are otherwise in very good condition. "Morning" has two focal areas of discoloration in the upper margin and some discoloration in the right margin, a short tear in the left margin and a short tear or crease in the right margin. "Noon" has a spot in the upper margin that extends into the upper image, but it is otherwise in very good condition. "Evening" has a faint spot in the upper margin, but it is otherwise in very good condition. "Night" is in excellent condition. The "Four Times of the Day" 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 Victoria and Albert Museum. Through this series Hogarth is portraying early 18th century London street life at "Four Times of the Day". His characters are exhibiting their personalities, quircks, strange activities, but he also wants to draw attention the disparities between the wealthy aristocracy and the common working class. Plate 1, "Morning" depicts morning in Covent Garden in the winter in front of Tom King...

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...

Artist: Johannes "Jan" Kip (Dutch, 1652/3-1722) Title: "The West Prospect of the Cathedral of York" (Vol. 3, Plate 31) Portfolio: Britannia Illustrata / Le Nouveau Théâtre de la Grande Bretagne Year: 1715-1724 (Third edition) Medium: Original Engraving and Etching on cream laid paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Joseph Smith, London, UK Publisher: Joseph Smith, London, UK Sheet size: 19.25" x 24.19" Image size: 16.75" x 22.5" Reference: "London Illustrated 1604-1850" - Adams No. 22; Crace No. 201; Brunet IV No. 114; Lowndes No. 1277; Lewine page 263-264 Condition: With centerfold as issued. Some light toning and foxing mainly in margins, and some light edgewear. Has been professionally stored away for decades. It is otherwise a strong impression in very good condition Rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - Ross-on-Wye, UK. Engraved by Dutch artist Johannes "Jan" Kip (1652/3-1722) after a drawing by Dutch artist Leonard Knyff or Leendert Knijff (1650-1722). Comes from Kip's six volume (including Supplement and 'Atlas Anglois') "Britannia Illustrata" / Le Nouveau Théâtre de la Grande Bretagne", (1724-1728) (Third edition), which consists of 394 engravings and etchings. Printed in one color from one copper plate: black. Biography: Johannes "Jan" Kip (1652/53 in Amsterdam - 1722 in Westminster) was a Dutch draftsman, engraver and print dealer. Together with Leonard Knyff, he made a speciality of engraved views of English country houses. Kip was a pupil of Bastiaen Stopendaal (1636–1707), from 1668 to 1670, before setting up on his own; his earliest dated engravings are from 1672. In April 1680, at the age of 27, he married Elisabeth Breda in Amsterdam. After producing works for the court of William of Orange in Amsterdam, Kip followed William and Mary to London and settled in St. John Street in Farringdon, where he conducted a thriving printselling business. He also worked for various London publishers producing engravings after such artists as Francis Barlow (c. 1626–1704) and Caius Gabriel Cibber (1630–1700), largely for book illustrations. He made several engraved plates for Awnsham & John Churchill's "A Collection of Voyages & Travels" (first published 1704). He signed the African scenes in volume V of the 1732 edition as "J. Kip". His most important works were the large fold-out folio illustrations for "Britannia Illustrata", 1708; for the 65 folio plates he engraved for the antiquary Sir Robert Atkyns, "The Ancient and Present State of Glostershire", 1712 (1st edition); and for "Le Nouveau Théâtre de la Grande Bretagne ou description exacte des palais de la Reine, et des Maisons les plus considerables des des Seigneurs & des Gentilshommes de la Grande Bretagne", 1715, an extended reprint in collaboration with other artists. The linked careers of Jan Kip and Leonard Knyff made a specialty of engraved views of English country houses, represented in detail from the bird's-eye view, a pictorial convention for topography. Their major work was "Britannia Illustrata: Or Views of Several of the Queens Palaces, as Also of the Principal seats of the Nobility and Gentry of Great Britain, Curiously Engraven on 80 Copper Plates", London (1707, published in the winter of 1708–9). The volume is among the most important English topographical publications of the 18th century. Architecture is rendered with care, and the settings of parterres and radiating avenues driven through woods or planted across fields, garden paths, gates and toolsheds are illustrated in detail. The images are staffed with figures and horses, coaches pulling into forecourts, water...

Artist: Francis Grose (English, 1731-1791) Title: "Bar Gate, Southampton" (Vol. III, Plate 32) Portfolio: The Antiquarian Repertory: A Miscellaneous Assemblage of Topography, History...

This large framed 18th century etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi entitled "Veduta del Mausoleo d'Elio Adriana ora chiamato Castello S. Angelo nella parte opposta alla Facciata de...

Engraving on cream laid paper, 8 x 5 7/8 inches (202 x 149 mm), trimmed at the platemark. Adhered at each corner to a small sheet of archival laid paper. Horizontal edge loss at the ...

"A sua Eccellenza il Signor Henry Hope Cav. Scozzese Amatore delle Belle Arti from "Vasi, Candelabri, Cippi, Sarcofagi, Tripodi, Lucerne, Ed Ornamenti Antichi", (Vases, candelabra, grave stones, sarcophagi, tripods, lamps, and ancient ornaments) is an etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, published in 1778. It depicts stone caryatids...

"Veduta del Sepolcro della Famiglia Plauzia per la Strada Che Conduce da Roma a Tivoli vicino a Ponte Lugano" from "Le Antichità Romane" (Roman Antiquities), one of the most famous works by Piranesi. "Antichita" illustrates the tombs along the Appian Way...