A. Heckel (after)
Charles Grignion (engraver)
A Perspective View of Hampton Court Bridge
cross the River of Thames. Open'd Decr. 13th 1753
Grignion, London: Early 19th Century
Hand-colored engraving
15 x 21 3/4 inches, sheet
22 x 28 inches, matted
$1,750

View of the first Hampton Court Bridge constructed in London, by Samuel Stevens and Benjamin Ludgator. An exotic seven-span timber bridge, it was a 20-foot wide road bridge and the largest Chinoiserie style bridge ever built (note the pagoda shaped roofs and curvilinear structure of the spans). The print also pictures boat traffic on the Thames around the bridge, and an architectural rendering of the bridge viewed from above is in the lower margin. The bridge proved flimsy (no doubt the undulating design was not terribly functional for day to day use either) and was rebuilt in 1778. It has since been replaced twice, most recently in the 1930s.

There were a father and son both named Charles Grignion, who worked as artists in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Heckel and Grignion collaborated on other prints of London landmarks.

Condition: Generally very good with the usual light toning, wear, soft creases, short marginal tears neatly restored.

Reference:

"Hampton Court Bridge." http://www.mattdavis2.cwc.net/thames/bridges/hampton.html