| Title: |
The Cyclops at Their Forge |
| Engraver: |
Murphy, John (Ireland, 1748 - London, c. 1807) |
| Designer: |
Giordano, Luca (Naples, 1632 - 1705) |
| Date: |
1788 |
| Medium: |
Original Mezzotint Engraving |
| Publisher: |
John Boydell, London |
| Source: |
The Houghton Gallery |
| Note: |
John Murphy: Born in Ireland, John Murphy established
himself in London and became one of the finest mezzotint engravers of
the late eighteenth century. He was equally well received for his engravings
both after the Italian masters and after his contemporaries, such as Reynolds,
Northcote, Romney, Stothard and Benjamin West. Many of his engravings
were also published by himself, however, he was commissioned (along with
Richard Earlom) to engrave some of the most important plates from The
Houghton Gallery. |
| |
Published by John and Josiah Boydell in 1788, The Cyclops
at their Forge is based upon a design created by he Italian artist,
Luca Giordano (Naples, 1632 - 1705. It is one of the largest and most famous engravings from
the entire Houghton set. John Murphy is best known for the brilliancy and power
of his mezzotints and this original engraving stands as one of his greatest
works of art. |
| |
John Boydell (Shropshire, 1719 - London, 1804) was
clearly one of England's most remarkable 18th century people. Born to
a poor family, he began his career as an at best mediocre engraver of
book plates. At this time England was at a very low ebb as a serious centre
for the creative arts (particularly engraving) and Boydell sought to eradicate
this problem by beginning a second career as a print publisher. Modest
experiments in the 1760's led to a rapid expansion and the mid 1770's
saw the publication of his Liber Veritas, with mezzotint engravings by
Richard Earlom after the drawings of Claude in the King's Collection.
This expensive undertaking put England back on the printmaking map and
was a huge financial success for Boydell. |
| |
Some of the finest mezzotint engravings in the history
of British art belong to Boydell's series known today as The Houghton
Gallery. Beginning in 1781, Boydell commissioned England's best mezzotint
artists to engrave the paintings by Italian Renaissance masters in the
collection of the Empress of Russia at Houghton. In total, one hundred
and twenty-eight plates were created by the time the set was completed
in 1788. This original mezzotint engraving is one of them. Once again,
these engravings were widely acclaimed and John Boydell now found himself
as the head of England's most influential publishing house. This is evidenced
by the fact that midway through The Houghton Gallery, Boydell's nephew,
Josiah, had joined the venture. |
| |
John Boydell had now established England as a major capital
for the arts and this once poor and struggling artist was now acknowledged
for his efforts by being elected no less than Lord Mayor of London in
1791. The same year marked the ill fated beginning of Boydell's most ambitious
and final undertaking. His new publishing house, "Shakspeare Gallery",
commissioned the most famous painters and engravers in Britain to create
and design large stipple engravings based on the plays of William Shakespeare.
This monumental experiment continued until Boydell's death thirteen years
later. By that time the "Shakspeare Gallery" had published 170 large
engravings. Alas, the expenses for this vast undertaking had been so large
that England's foremost publisher of art ended his life the way it began
and died a pauper. |
| Size: |
20 X 13 3/4 (Sizes in inches are approximate,
height preceding width of plate-mark or image.) |
| |
Framed and Matted with 100% Archival Materials |
| Condition: |
Printed upon eighteenth century laid paper and with full
margins as published by John Boydell in London in 1788. Very slight foxing
exists in the outer margins and a horizontal scrape mark can be seen,
else a strong, early printing. One should here take note that this is
a very early impression of The Cyclops at their Forge. Eighteenth century
mezzotint engravings yielded at most one hundred satisfactory impressions.
Only the first handful of impressions would exhibit such strong and velvety
tonal values as one sees here. The Cyclops at their Forge, therefore,
is a most scarce and valuable example of the art of John Murphy. |
| Price: |
Sold - The price is no longer available. |
| Important Information: |
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