Rare Mezzotint Engraving "a Tigress" by John Murphy After George Stubbs, c.1798

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Rare Mezzotint Engraving "a Tigress" by John Murphy After George Stubbs, c.1798

About the Item

An incredibly scarce and fine mezzotint by John Murphy after the original painting by George Stubbs, it is not the first engraving of the painting as it was previously engraved by John Dixon in 1772. After that engraving plate was destroyed in a fire, John Murphy was given permission by Stubbs to complete his own engraving of the work and the result was a superbly painterly image that has been highly sought-after by collectors and museums ever since. Titled in the lower-mid "A Tigress" and noted below that "London. Published July 27 1798. by J. Murphy, North site Paddington Green", the left corner reads "Engraved by John Murphy by permission of W. Stubbs from the picture painted by himself and in his possession". An example is in the permanent collection of the British Museum of Art [acc. no. 1857,0613.401] also published on July 27th of 1798. Grosvenor Prints used the engraving as the frontpiece for their no. 113 catalogue [offered at a price of 12,500 GBP] and Christie's offered a fine example of the same where it achieved 11,250 GBP [Sale 5437, British Mezzotints and Printed Handkerchiefs from the Collection of the Honourable Christopher Lennox-Boyd, March 11 2008, lot 123]. The Art Gallery of Ontario has a good example [acc. no. 87/176] as well as the Yale Center for British Art [acc. no. B1985.36.1089] and Daniel Crouch Rare Books has a framed example of the later published edition [November 12 1800] available for 8,000 GBP. It remains arguably one of the finest engravings produced in the history of mezzotint and in a carefully conserved and well-preserved state remains a remarkable acquisition. Artist Listings & Bibliography: George Stubbs, The Complete Engraved Works, Lennox-Boyd, 1989, Dixon, Clayton 133 Measurements: 24 1/2" W x 19 1/2" H [cardstock backing]; 24 1/8" W x 19 3/8" H [extreme edge of margins]; 24 1/8" W x 19" H [image] Condition Report: Unframed. Trimmed to platemark. Laid on cardstock. Three speck losses: under elbow, under armpit, in ground 2 3/4" to the right of the title. Smudge loss between "A" and "TIGRESS". Conserved tears: 3/4" vertical tear at margin left of the leftmost notations, 9/16" vertical tear upper-center at margin, other tiny vertical tears along upper edge at margin and agitation to paper at upper right corner. Subtle conserved crease before foremost paw [approx. 4" at an angle to the left margins]. Two very faint scratches below front paw (forming an inverted V). A nice flat presentation. Video and additional images are available upon request.

Dimensions:
Height: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)Width: 24.5 in (62.23 cm)Depth: 0.06 in (1.53 mm)
Materials and Techniques:
Paper,Engraved
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
18th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1798
Condition:
See condition notes in description text.
Seller Location:
Shippensburg, PA
Reference Number:
Seller: C1040591stDibs: LU1059028052612