John Boydell Antique Shakespeare Print Taming of the Shrew

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Price: $250.00
This item is in stock

Description

Antique original print (from 1794) from John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery, a rare and highly prized print of a scene from one of William Shakespeare's plays. This was published in 1852 (the original book was published in 1805 with the printed created in 1794).

This particular print is from The Taming of the Shrew, Scene II by R. Smirke

Condition: picture clear, border foxed

Born in 1719, the English land surveyor turned engraver John Boydell began his artistic career publishing his own prints. Eventually he began to publish the works of others, and by 1767 he devoted himself entirely to publishing and selling engravings of other artists.

At the time, most of the prints for sale in England were imported from France and other Continental countries. And French publishers, being French, would rarely extend credit or exchange prints with the English dealers, demanding instead to be paid in cash up front. Boydell seized this opportunity and began commissioning English engravers to create plates of English paintings. The resulting works were the first English prints ever to be in demand in Europe.

Boydell became quite wealthy from this enterprise. He used his fortune to fund a major art project, which became known as his Shakespeare Gallery. He commissioned the leading painters of the day to paint scenes from Shakespeare’s plays. He then printed both small and large engravings for sale in England and abroad.

For his patronage of the arts, Boydell became Alderman of London in 1782, was made Sheriff of the city in 1785, and served as Lord Mayor from 1790-1. And though the idea of the Shakespeare Gallery was not his own, his money, influence, and experience made it a reality.

When Boydell began the project, there was a great deal of renewed interest in Shakespeare and his plays. But when war broke out between England and France -- the leading market for the prints -- in 1793, the market on both sides of the channel dried up.

Boydell ended up bankrupt and the prints had to be auctioned off in 1804 -- a month after his death. Some of the large prints were shipped to the United States. Some of these came from a book bound in 1805 and later republished in 1852 and sold at an auction in Wallingford, Conn. Others came from Paul Prouté, who was one of the premier print dealers in Paris at the time. And now we are auctioning them here, on eBay, in the 21st Century!

The quality of these engravings is excellent, and many of the prints are highly prized. The collection includes work from some famous painters, such as Fuseli, Barry, Romney, Reynolds, West, and Wright. The prints themselves are very clear. Some of the borders may be foxed (some slightly, some not), but foxing can be cleaned up by reputable restorers (museums and art dealers can recommend local restorers).

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