| Method | Stipple engraving |
| Artist | Benjamin Smith after Richard Westall |
| Published | Published March 25. 1797, by J.&J. Boydell, & G. Nicol, Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall; & No. 90, Cheapside. |
| Dimensions | Image 214 x 151 mm, Sheet 378 x 277 mm |
| Notes |
An illustration of Milton's Lycidas from John and Josiah Boydell's The Poetical Works of John Milton (1794-1797). The poem was written in memory of Milton's friend, the clergyman Edward King, who was drowned in a shipwreck on the Irish Sea. Lycidas, a poetic cipher for King, reposes in pastoral tranquility by a small brook, surrounded by a flock of sheep. Aside from being a popular name for shepherds and rustics in classical poetry, Lycidas also held connotations of sacrifice, being the name of an Athenian councillor who was stoned to death by his peers for suggesting the Greeks consider peace-terms with the Persian King Xerxes. In this role, Milton's King is a criticism of his fellow clergymen, whom Milton viewed as dissolute and corrupt. The publication of Boydell's Milton followed the success of his Shakespeare Gallery, and included 28 plates by Richard Westall after works by Henry Fuseli. Fuseli, one of the Shakespeare Gallery's key contributors, had been inspired by Boydell's success, subsequently painting 40 large-scale scenes from Paradise Lost that he intended to form the core of his own 'Milton Gallery'. Richard Westall RA (2nd January 1765 - 4th December 1836) was a British painter, illustrator, printmaker, and drawing master, best known for his portraits of Lord Byron, and his work as a painter for John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery, and Henry Fuseli's failed Milton Gallery. Benjamin Smith (1754-1833) was a British engraver, printseller, and publisher. A student of Francesco Bartolozzi, his most celebrated engravings were the series he undertook for Boydell's editions of Shakespeare and Milton, though he also produced many fine plates after William Hogarth and George Romney, as well as portraits of George III. Ex Col.: Hon. Christopher Lennox-Boyd, collectors' mark on verso. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £75.00 |
| Stock ID | 36293 |