| Method | Mezzotint |
| Artist | William Ward after Sir Joshua Reynolds |
| Published | London, Published March 1st, 1825, by W.B, Cooke, 9 Soho Square. |
| Dimensions | Image 168 x 204 mm, Plate: 202 x 234 mm, Sheet 335 x 337 mm. |
| Notes |
A proof before inscription, Ward's mezzotint follows Sir Joshua Reynolds' painting which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1777. The scene shows a dandy offering the gypsy palm-reader the hand of his sweetheart, who seems amused and embarrassed at the situation. William Ward (1762-1826) was a British engraver, particularly known for subject mezzotints and decorative stipples, but later in his career predominantly as a portrait engraver. He was apprenticed to the mezzotinter John Raphael Smith, though following Smith's death, worked for various publishers, as well as in partnership with his brother James, also an engraver and painter, as Messrs. Wards & Co. He was connected by marriage with the painter George Morland twice over, with Morland marrying Ward's sister Anne a month before Ward's own wedding to Morland's sister Maria. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was one of the most important figures of the eighteenth century art world. He was the first President of the Royal Academy and Britain's leading portrait painter. Through a series of lectures on the Discourses on Art at the Royal Academy he defined the style later known as the Grand Manner, an idealised Classical aesthetic. He had a profound impact on the theory and practice of art and helped to raise the status of portrait painting into the realm of fine art. A flamboyant socialite, Reynolds used his social contacts to promote himself and advance his career becoming one of the most prominent portrait painters of the period. Condtion: Excellent impression, light horizontal and vertical creases, some scuffing to paper at platemark. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £200.00 |
| Stock ID | 21965 |