John Boydell (1719-1804) (after)
A View Taken on Twickenham Common
John Boydell, London: 1753
Hand-colored etching with armorial watermark
10 x 16 1/4 inches, platemark
11 5/8 x 18 inches, sheet
$550
A View Taken on Twickenham Common
John Boydell, London: 1753
John Boydell, London: 1753
Sunlit pastoral view of three fine buildings and grounds upon which sheep and cattle graze. A coach drawn by six horses led by a man on horseback make their way down the road that cuts across the grounds. Twickenham is now in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames, which stretches from Hampton Court Palace to Twickenham Rugby Football Ground to Kew Gardens and beyond. Titled in English and French.
John Boydell was a successful and influential printseller and engraver. Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery is credited with changing the course of English painting by creating a market for historical and literary works. He also encouraged the development of engraving in England with, among other things, his prints illustrating scenes from Shakespearean plays. By the late 1760s he was a successful entrepreneur in print publishing and retailing, successfully marketing his prints across the continent; he also became Lord Mayor of London in 1790. In 1773, his nephew Josiah Boydell (1752-1817) became his business partner and later his successor, trading as J. & J. Boydell.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual light toning, wear, soiling, soft creases. Original colors bright.
References:
Maxted, Ian. "The London book trades 1775-1800: a preliminary checklist of members." 2001. http://www.devon.gov.uk/library/locstudy/bookhist/lonb.html
Rusche, Harry. "Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery." Emory University. 1998. http://www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/classes/Shakespeare_Illustrated/Boydell.html