| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | Attributed to Johannes Kip |
| Published | [Joseph Smith, Britannia Illustrata, London, 1724] |
| Dimensions | Image 420 x 565 mm, Plate 460 x 580 mm, Sheet 510 x 630 mm |
| Notes |
A large prospect of the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, in Ely, Cambridgeshire, from Joseph Smith's Britannia Illustrata or Views of Several of the Queen's Palaces and also of the Principal Seats of the Nobility and Gentry of Great Britain. Although rarely signed by Kip himself, the series of views of cathedrals is usually attributed to him on stylistic grounds. This view is taken from the North with the Galilee Porch to the right of the view. The foreground is populated by groups of people, some viewing the cathedral, others relaxing. Johannes 'Jan' Kip (1653 - 1722) was a Dutch draughtsman, engraver, and print dealer who was active in England, after producing works for the court of William of Orange in Amsterdam. Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Kip accompanied the Court to England and settled in Westminster, where he conducted a thriving print selling business from his house in St. John's Street. He also worked for various London publishers producing engravings, largely for book illustrations. His most important works were the execution of the illustrations for Britannia Illustrata, 1708; The Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire, 1712, and Le Nouveau Theatre de la Grande Bretagne, 1715. The set of five volumes that comprised the Britannia Illustrata is celebrated for its survey of the country house during the Augustinian age, as recorded in the series of plates engraved by Kip himself. This 'flourishing period of restoration, expansion and reconstruction of the seats of the English nobility was the immediate outcome of a great increase in mercantile prosperity.' Other engravers contributed to produce some outstanding plates that show the royal palaces, naval towns, cathedrals, the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge and large panoramic views of London, Westminster and Cambridge. Condition: Central vertical crease as issued. Small tears to left, right, and top centre margins, not affecting image. Light foxing to bottom margin, not affecting plate. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £100.00 |
| Stock ID | 37083 |