| Method | Mezzotint |
| Artist | Henry Kingsbury after Martin Hoffman |
| Published | Published January 1st 1805 by William Richardson, York House, 31 Strand |
| Dimensions | Image 487 x 350 mm, Plate 353 x 507 mm |
| Notes |
An early state of this fine full-length portrait of Carl Linnaeus in the native dress of Lapland, he stands with a botanical sample in his hand and a stack of his works and material to the left. Later states of this engraving were included as an illustration to Robert Thornton's 'Illustration of the Sexual System of Carolus von Linnaeus' Carl Linnaeus (1707 - 1778) was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature (the Latin naming of species using two composite parts i.e. Homo Sapiens). He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology. Henry Kingsbury (fl. 1775 - 1804) mezzotint and stipple engraver working in London at the turn of the nineteenth century, specialising in portraiture. His name also appears on satirical engravings published by S. W. Fores. Martin Hoffman, virtually nothing is know about this eighteenth century artist, with no mention of him in the standard reference books. This painting is the only work that appears to be attributed to him. Chaloner Smith 8 ii/iii Ex-Col.: Hon Christopher Lennox-Boyd Condition: Trimmed just outside the plate mark, loss to margin in top right hand corner, not affecting plate or image. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £700.00 |
| Stock ID | 16685 |