| Method | Stipple engraving |
| Artist | Francesco Bartolozzi after Thomas Stothard |
| Published | [c.1822] |
| Dimensions | Image 122 x 176 mm, Plate 248 x 388 mm, Sheet 309 x 471 mm |
| Notes |
An proof plate of Sin and Death, originally engraved for Jeffryes & Co.'s publication of Milton's Paradise Lost (1792-3). Bartolozzi's Milton plates were reprinted a number of times in the early 19th century. In 1815, they were reprinted as an illustrative set by John Hill, and in 1818, were combined with Bartolozzi's Shakespeare plates by H. M'Lean to 'form an elegant library accompaniment to the various editions of these authors' (De Vesme & Calabi, 1928: 438). The original publication line, for Jeffryes & Co, has been removed from the current printing. In the illustration, Sin and Death guard the adamantine Gate of Hell. Sin, depicted scylla-like with dog-headed serpents instead of legs, covers her face, ashamed of the incestuous union with her father, Satan, that gave birth to Death. Death himself sits against the opposing lintel, crowned, cloaked, and carrying a sceptre, his gaunt face obscured by darkness. Thomas Stothard (17th August 1755 - 27th April 1834) was an English painter, illustrator, and engraver, best known for his illustrations to poetic work. He is particularly noted for his illustrations to the poems of Ossian, purported to be the author of an epic cycle published by James Macpherson and commonly hailed as a progenitor of the British Romantic movement. Francesco Bartolozzi (21st September 1727 - 7th March 1815) was an Italian engraver, best known for his engravings for Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery, and those after Angelica Kauffman and Cipriani. Working initially on landscape and architectural engravings in Venice and Rome, in 1764 he moved to London, which began his most prolific period. Condition: Foxing and waterstaining, gilt-edged sheet with paper watermarked '1822.' |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £80.00 |
| Stock ID | 36373 |