Featured Antique Engraving

Engraved by F.R. Smith after a painting, The Chanters, by Rev. Mathew Williams Peters, R.A. From researching online, I think the original dates to 1787. Listings I found for this colored version, date this to 1909, however, none of these state where or why it was printed in 1909 to verify the date. Is anyone familiar with this?

 

I don't understand why I am having problems with photographs showing up twice. This time, I tried to edit and now the second set is showing up on top. What am I doing wrong?

 

Maybe if you remove all of them first, including the thumbnails, and then upload them again?

 

The edit option is gone. Sometimes, everything loads as it should, and every so often, this happens. ???

 

Not sure, but it doesn't appear to have much value unfortunately based on this listing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-Antique...260462?hash=item3adc02972e:g:mvQAAOSwBPNXRfzA

 

I don't see any writing around the edge. I think that might be a repro.

 

The engraver is not FR Smith but JR (John Raphael) Smith:
http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/16538

The ebay link describes it as "halftone", i.e. printed using a dot screen process (which yours clearly isn't). Presumably it was taken from a 1909 book.

 

According to Julia Frankau's 1906 book "Eighteenth century colour prints : an essay on certain stipple engravers & their work in colour":
https://archive.org/stream/eighteenthcentur00franiala/eighteenthcentur00franiala_djvu.txt

"The first state, before the title, was printed in colours, so I think it may be fairly considered that rara avis a proof in colours."

 

Thank you! I'm running out to an appointment and I will read the link when I get back.

 

Well that took a while. I read through most of the book in the link, while googling the images by the engravers, and then, following those links. I really have a love/hate relationship with the internet. It can be such a time thief when you get lost in the subject.

I'm still a bit confused by that statement. "The first state, before the title, was printed in colours, so I think it may be fairly considered that rara avis a proof in colours."

Does this mean the colored prints were done before the black and white prints that have the title "The Chanters" printed below the image? Do I have one of the "rara avis" proofs?

 

This has been on my mind. I do think it is likely 18th C and printed in colors. It does not look to me as though the colors are overlaying a black and white print, nor does this look like a later mechanical reproduction. This would be "a la poupee" with individually colored inks applied to appropriate parts of the plate before the print was pulled.

Because the print has been trimmed to fit the circular frame, it is not possible to say whether this state is before or after the title was added. (I can't open that National Trust link on this computer.)

Can you tell if the paper is laid or wove? Laid would support an 18th C attribution, but not be enough on its own confirm it. Wove paper was developed in England c1757. Knowing the paper on which other period examples were printed would help.

 

Thank you for taking another look. I removed it from the frame. The paper is wove. Here are some close-ups. I darkened the first image to show the texture. The second image is a little closer to the real color on the back. It yellowed from the backer board.

 

Here are some close-up photographs of the image. I don't see an under drawing.

 

Nice, clear details. This is an intaglio print, not a reproduction. The colors were applied to the plate, not added afterwards. Took a neat hand, didn't it?

I think you are safe in saying this is an 18th C exemplar, and I think it's very likely that the frame is original to it.

 

Thank you! I'm off to do some research now on the value.

 

A wrench in the works. This is the thread where I first heard of the Julia Frankau book. The copy I bought is 1906 and an unillustrated 2nd edition.

As has been pointed out, the first edition (1900) was illustrated.
Here's the title page:


Here's the problem:

And here's the one print in colors:


So you do have an intaglio print with color applied to the plate, and the frame does look 18th C to me, but I have no way of knowing if the print is 18th C or 1900.

 

@Mill Cove Treasures, You're NOT doing ANYTHING wrong.....sometimes the upload program "fudges" things up....I think it happens on occasion to most of us!!!! I know it does to me too, at least.....not all the time....just sometimes.....frustrating!!!!!!

And, as usual I didn't look at the original date of postings....Sept & Oct, 2017!

 

Thank you, MOS. Thank you for posting the photographs. The colors seem darker in the book print but I suppose my print could have faded over time. I think I will try to find someone to take a look at it, now I have to satisfy my curiosity. I'll let you know when I find something out.