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Benjamin Smith & Richard Westall

Benjamin Smith and Richard Westall - Lycidas A Poem by John Milton The Poetical Works of John Milton

Lycidas: A Poem by John Milton (The Poetical Works of John Milton)

Benjamin Smith's original stipple engraving, Lycidas was designed by the British artist, Richard Westall for John Boydell's "The Poetical Works of John Milton" and illustrates a poem written by John Milton (1608 - 1674). Written in 1637, Milton's elegy deals with the death by shipwreck of a close friend of his youth. In this scene, the artist depicts a Shepherd tending to his flock within a quite wooded landscape. The opening stanza appears below. Lycidas (A poem by John Milton) is printed upon thick J Whatman wove paper and with large, full margins as published by John and Josiah Boydell in Pall Mall in 1797. This impression contains the engraver's name, "B. Smith Sculpt.", the designer's name, "R. Westall delt.", title, "Lycidas. Page 165" and publisher's details "Published March, 25, 1797 by J. & J. Boydell & G. Nicol, Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall; & No. 90, Cheapside." printed below the image. This is a wonderful example of the beauty and force of the eighteenth century stipple technique and it is also a fine, original example of the art created by the British artists, Benjamin Smith and Richard Westall.

 
Title: Lycidas (A poem by John Milton)
Engraver: Smith, Benjamin (London, 1754 - 1833)
Designer: Westall, Richard (Hertford, 1765 - London, 1836)
Date: 1797
Medium: Original Stipple Engraving
Publisher J. & J. Boydell & G. Nicol, Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall; & No. 90, Cheapside
Source: The Poetical Works of John Milton
Note: Benjamin Smith: A great 18th and early nineteenth century engraver, Benjamin Smith studied stippling techniques under Francesco Bartolozzi in London. During his career Smith engraved many fine plates after the designs of contemporary masters such as William Hogarth, George Romney and Beechey. He also created portrait engravings of such noteworthy individuals as Marquis Cornwallis and George III. Benjamin Smith was frequently commissioned by John Boydell to engrave plates for both his Shakespeare Gallery and for his Milton set. Such is the case with Lycida which hails from his Milton set.
  Richard Westall: After attending the Royal Academy schools in London (1785), Richard Westall devoted himself to history and landscape subjects. He was an early practitioner of the watercolour medium and many publishers of illustrated books soon sought his designs for publication of illustrated editions of Gray, Moore, Crabbe and other poets of the day. During the 1790’s he was commissioned by Boydell to work upon both the Milton and Shakespeare sets. Richard Westall was elected an Associate of the prestigious Royal Academy in 1792 and a full Academician in 1794. In the 1820’s he was appointed the drawing master to then Princess Victoria.
  John Boydell (Shropshire, 1719 - London, 1804): John Boydell is easily one of England’s most remarkable 18th century personalities. Born in poverty, he began his career as an at best mediocre engraver of small book plates. At this time England was at a very low ebb as a serious centre for the visual arts (particularly engraving) and Boydell sought to eradicate this situation by beginning a second career as a publisher of fine prints. Modest initial experiments in the 1760’s led to a rapid expansion of his business and during the 1770’s, he published his striking series of mezzotint engravings, Liber Veritas, engraved by Richard Earlom after the drawings of Claude Lorrain. This ambitious undertaking put England back on the printmaking map and was a huge financial success for John Boydell.
  Boydell had now established London as a major centre for the arts and this once poor and struggling engraver/publisher was acknowledged for his efforts by being elected no less than Lord Mayor of London, in 1791. The same year marked the beginning of Boydell’s most grandiose undertaking. His new publishing establishment in Pall Mall, the ‘Shakspeare Gallery’, began by commissioning the most esteemed painters and engravers in the country to create and design large and expensive engravings based upon the plays and life of William Shakespeare. By this time as well John Boydell’s nephew, Josiah (1752-1817), had joined the firm.
  This monumental venture continued until Boydell’s death thirteen years later. By that time, The Shakespeare Gallery had created and published one hundred and seventy engravings on a grand scale. Alas, the expenses for this vast project had been so large that England’s foremost publisher of art ended his life the way he began, dying penniless.
  At this time England’s other great literary giant, John Milton, was honoured by Boydell. The Poetical Works of John Milton was published in three parts in 1794, 1795 and 1797. Sparing no expense, Boydell commissioned George Romney to design a portrait plate and Richard Westall to design images illustrating each part of Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained as well as the more famous individual poems. The engravers included Luigi Schiavonetti, Richard Earlom, Charles Bestland, Thomas Kirk, J. P. Simon, Benjamin Smith, M. Haughton, Dutterau and John Ogborne.
  Unlike the Shakespeare engravings, the Milton prints were constructed almost solely in the stipple technique. Stippling reached its golden age in late eighteenth century England. The technique was promoted and taught by Francesco Bartolozzi (1727-1815). Many of the above mentioned engravers were among his finest students. Briefly, stippling was a tonal method where the image was created not with solid lines but with a multitude of dots or flicks. Under a master’s hand, stippling magnificently captured tonal values by contrasting areas of light and shade. Unfortunately it was most laborious and quickly became extinct with advances in aquatint engraving in the early nineteenth century. Yet to this day some of the most subtle and sensual engravings in the history of British art belong to the stipple engravers of the late eighteenth century.
  As one can easily see, these stipple engravings for Boydell’s The Poetical Works of John Milton are masterpieces of their kind. Benjamin Smith's Lycidas is a wonderful example of both the beauty and force of the eighteenth century stipple technique.
 

Lycidas contains the engraver's name, "B. Smith Sculpt.", the designer's name, "R. Westall delt.", title, "Lycidas. Page 165" and publisher's details "Published March, 25, 1797 by J. & J. Boydell & G. Nicol, Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall; & No. 90, Cheapside." printed below the image. It illustrates a poem written by John Milton in 1637, Milton's elegy deals with the death by shipwreck of a close friend of his youth. The opening stanza appears below.

Yet once more, O ye laurels, and once more,
Ye myrtles brown, with ivy never sere,
I come to pluck your berries, harsh and crude,
And, with forced fingers rude,
Shatter your leaves, before the mellowing year.
Bitter constraint, and sad occasion dear,
Compels me to disturb your season due:
For Lycidas is dead, dead ere his prime,
Young Lycidas, and hath not left his peer.
Who would not sing for Lycidas? he knew
Himself to sing, and build lofty rhyme.
He must not float upon his watery bier
Unwept, and welter to the parching wind,
Without the meed of some melodious tear." * John Milton

Size: 10 X 6 1/8 (Sizes in inches are approximate, height preceding width of plate-mark or image.)
  Matted with 100% Archival Materials
Buy Now Price: $895.00 US
Condition: Printed upon thick Whatman wove paper and with large, full margins as published by John and Josiah Boydell in Pall Mall in 1797. It contains the engraver's name, "B. Smith Sculpt.", the designer's name, "R. Westall delt.", title, "Lycidas. Page 165" and publisher's details "Published March, 25, 1797 by J. & J. Boydell & G. Nicol, Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall; & No. 90, Cheapside." printed below the image. Containing slight foxing, most notably in the outer margins, else a rich, early impression and in excellent condition throughout. Lycidas (A poem by John Milton) represents a superb, original example of late eighteenth century art of Benjamin Smith.
Subject: Benjamin Smith, Richard Westall, John Boydell, Lycidas, A poem by John Milton, original stipple engraving, John Milton (1608 - 1674), death by shipwreck of a close friend, stipple engravers of the late eighteenth century, Shakespeare Gallery and Milton set.
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Original Stipple Engraving by the British artist, by Benjamin Smith designed by Richard Westall.

Lycidas A poem by John Milton Original Stipple Engraving by the British artist Benjamin Smith designed by Richard Westall for John Boydell's set The Poetical Works of John Milton
Lycidas: A poem by John Milton (The Poetical Works of John Milton)

View other original engravings by Benjamin Smith.

Benjamin Smith (London, 1754 - 1833)
# Image Title & Artists Medium Date Engraver Designer Source -
01.- His most Gracious Majesty King George the Third by Benjamin Smith designed by Sir William Beechey His most Gracious Majesty King George the Third by Benjamin Smith designed by Sir William Beechey Original Stipple Engraving 1804 Benjamin Smith Sir William Beechey Shakspeare Gallery  
02- John Milton On the Death of a Fair Infant by Benjamin Smith John Milton: On the Death of a Fair Infant by Benjamin Smith designed by Richard Westall Original Stipple Engraving (First Edition Impression) 1797 Benjamin Smith Richard Westall The Poetical Works of John Milton  
03.- King Richard The Second Bolingbroke York Aumerle by Benjamin Smith King Richard The Second. Act IV, Scene I. King Richard, Bolingbroke, York, Aumerle, etc. by Benjamin Smith designed by Mather Brown Original Stipple Engraving (Artist Proof Impression) c. 1795 Benjamin Smith Mather Brown Shakspeare Gallery Sold
04.- Lycidas by Benjamin Smith designed by Richard Westall Lycidas: A Poem by John Milton engraved by Benjamin Smith designed by Richard Westall Original Stipple Engraving (First Edition Impression) 1797 Benjamin Smith Richard Westall The Poetical Works of John Milton  
05.- Shakspeare seated between the Dramatick Muse and the Genius of Painting The alto relievo in the front of the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall by Benjamin Smith designed by Thomas Banks Shakspeare seated between the Dramatick Muse and the Genius of Painting. The alto relievo in the front of the Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall by Benjamin Smith designed by Thomas Banks Original Stipple Engraving (First Edition Impression) 1796 Benjamin Smith Thomas Banks Shakspeare Gallery  
06.- Shakspeare Nursed by Tragedy And Comedy by Benjamin Smith Shakspeare Nursed by Tragedy And Comedy by Benjamin Smith designed by George Romney Original Stipple Engraving (First Edition Impression) 1803 Benjamin Smith George Romney Shakspeare Gallery  
07.- Paradise Lost Adam and Eve Banished by Benjamin Smith Paradise Lost: Adam and Eve Banished from Paradise by Benjamin Smith designed by Richard Westall Original Stipple Engraving (First Edition Impression) 1795 Benjamin Smith Richard Westall The Poetical Works of John Milton  
08.- Paradise Regained The Fall of Satan by Benjamin Smith Paradise Regained: The Fall of Satan by Benjamin Smith designed by Richard Westall Original Stipple Engraving (First Edition Impression) 1795 Benjamin Smith Richard Westall The Poetical Works of John Milton  
09.- The Infant Shakspeare. Attended by Nature and the Passions by Benjamin Smith The Infant Shakspeare. Attended by Nature and the Passions by Benjamin Smith designed by George Romney Original Line and Stipple Engraving (Spooner Edition) 1799 (1852 Edition) Benjamin Smith George Romney Shakspeare Gallery Sold
10.- The Tempest The Enchanted Island Before the Cell of Prospero Prospero and Miranda by Benjamin Smith The Tempest. Act I, Scene I. The Enchanted Island: Before the Cell of Prospero. Prospero and Miranda. by Benjamin Smith designed by George Romney Original Line and Stipple Engraving (First Edition Impression) 1797 Benjamin Smith George Romney Shakspeare Gallery  

View other original engravings published by John and Josiah Boydell for "The Poetical Works of John Milton".

The Poetical Works of John Milton
Designed by Richard Westall
# Image Title & Engraver Engraver Info Medium Date -
01.- Comus Sabrina Releasing the Lady from her Spell by John Ogborne designed by Richard Westall Comus: Sabrina Releasing the Lady from her Spell by John Ogborne John Ogborne (Chelmsford, 1755 - London, 1837) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1797 Available
02.- - Comus: The Forest Scene by Benjamin Smith Benjamin Smith (London, 1754 - 1833) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1797 --
03.- - Comus: The Temptation Scene by Benjamin Smith Benjamin Smith (London, 1754 - 1833)
& Benjamin Duterrau (1767 - 1851)
Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1797 --
04.- - Elegia Quinta by Thomas Kirk Thomas Kirk (London, Died, 1797) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1797 --
05.- Hymn to the Nativity Poetical Works of John Milton engraved by Jean Pierre Simon designed by Richard Westall Hymn to the Nativity by Jean Pierre Simon Jean Pierre Simon, 'John Peter Simon' (London, 1750 - Paris, c. 1810) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1797 Available
06.- - Il Penseroso by John Ogborne John Ogborne (Chelmsford, 1755 - London, 1837) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1797 --
07.- John Milton On the Death of a Fair Infant by Benjamin Smith On the Death of a Fair Infant by Benjamin Smith Benjamin Smith (London, 1754 - 1833) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1794 Available
08.- - L'Allegro by Thomas Kirk Thomas Kirk (London, Died, 1797) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1797 --
09.- Lycidas by Benjamin Smith designed by Richard Westall Lycidas (A poem by John Milton), by Benjamin Smith Benjamin Smith (London, 1754 - 1833) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1797 Available
10.- - Milton and his two Daughters by Benjamin Smith Benjamin Smith (London, 1754 - 1833) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1797 --
11.- Paradise Lost Adam and Eve Banished by Benjamin Smith Paradise Lost: Adam and Eve Banished from Paradise by Benjamin Smith Benjamin Smith (London, 1754 - 1833) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1795 Available
12.- Paradise Lost Adam Awakening Eve by Richard Earlom after Richard Westall Paradise Lost: Adam Awakening Eve by Richard Earlom Richard Earlom (London, 1743 - 1822) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1794 Sold
13.- Paradise Lost Death Leaving the Gates of Hell for the World of Man by John Ogborne designed by Richard Westall Paradise Lost: Death Leaving the Gates of Hell for the World of Man by John Ogborne John Ogborne (Chelmsford, 1755 - London, 1837) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1795 Available
14.- Paradise Lost Eve in the Garden of Eden by Richard Earlom after Richard Westall Paradise Lost: Eve in the Garden of Eden by Richard Earlom Richard Earlom (London, 1743 - 1822) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1795 Sold
15.- Paradise Lost Messiah Routs Satan and his Angels by Luigi Schiavonetti designed by Richard Westall Paradise Lost: Messiah Routs Satan and his Angels by Luigi Schiavonetti Luigi Schiavonetti (Bassano, Italy, 1765 - London, 1810) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1794 Sold
16.- Paradise Lost Satan Alarmed Poetical Works of John Milton engraved by Jean Pierre Simon designed by Richard Westall Paradise Lost: Satan Alarmed by Jean Pierre Simon Jean Pierre Simon, 'John Peter Simon' (London, 1750 - Paris, c. 1810) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1794 Available
17.- - Paradise Lost: Satan at the Gates of Hell by Jean Pierre Simon Jean Pierre Simon, 'John Peter Simon' (London, 1750 - Paris, c. 1810) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1794 --
18.- - Paradise Lost: Satan Awakening His Legions by Jean Pierre Simon Jean Pierre Simon, 'John Peter Simon' (London, 1750 - Paris, c. 1810) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1794 --
19.- Paradise Lost The Angel Raphael Relates The Story of Creation to Adam and Eve by Thomas Kirk designed by Richard Westall Paradise Lost: The Angel Raphael Relates The Story of Creation to Adam and Eve by Thomas Kirk Thomas Kirk (London, Died, 1797) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1795 Sold
20.- Paradise Lost The Temptation of Eve by Thomas Kirk designed by Richard Westall Paradise Lost: The Temptation of Eve by Thomas Kirk Thomas Kirk (London, Died, 1797) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1795 Sold
21.- Paradise Regained Christ and Satan Dispute the Value of Earthly Glory by William Satchwell Leney designed by Riichard Westall Paradise Regained: Christ and Satan Dispute the Value of Earthly Glory. by William Satchwell Leney William Satchwell Leney (London, 1769 - Longue Pointe (Montreal), Canada, 1831) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1795 Available
22.- Paradise Regained Christ in the Wilderness by Moses Haughton Junior Paradise Regained: Christ in the Wilderness by Moses Haughton Junior Moses Haughton, Junior (Wednesbury, Staffordshire, c. 1772 - London, 1848) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1795 Available
23.- Paradise Regained The Fall of Satan by Benjamin Smith Paradise Regained: The Fall of Satan by Benjamin Smith Benjamin Smith (London, 1754 - 1833) Original Stipple Engraving 'First Edition Impression 1795 Available

Portraits of John Milton (England, 1608 - 1674)
# Image Title & Artist Artist Info Medium Publisher Date -
01.- John Milton Age 21 by William Nelson Gardiner John Milton, Age 21 by William Nelson Gardiner William Nelson Gardiner (Dublin, 1766 - London, 1814) Original Stipple Engraving and Etching John and Josiah Boydell & George Nicol, London 1794 Sold
02.- John Milton Age 62 by William Nelson Gardiner John Milton, Age 62 by William Nelson Gardiner William Nelson Gardiner (Dublin, 1766 - London, 1814) Original Stipple Engraving and Etching John and Josiah Boydell & George Nicol, London 1794  
03.- Portrait of John Milton as a Child by Giovanni Battista Cipriani Portrait of John Milton as a Child by Giovanni Battista Cipriani Giovanni Battista Cipriani (Florence, Italy, 1727 - London (Hammersmith), 1785) Original Etching Thomas Hollis (J. & J. Boydell & G. Nicol Edition, 1794) 1760  
04.- Portrait of John Milton as a Young Man by Giovanni Battista Cipriani Portrait of John Milton as a Young Man by Giovanni Battista Cipriani Giovanni Battista Cipriani (Florence, Italy, 1727 - London (Hammersmith), 1785) Original Etching Thomas Hollis (J. & J. Boydell & G. Nicol Edition, 1794) 1760  
05.- Portrait of John Milton in Old Age by Giovanni Battista Cipriani Portrait of John Milton in Old Age by Giovanni Battista Cipriani Giovanni Battista Cipriani (Florence, Italy, 1727 - London (Hammersmith), 1785) Original Etching Thomas Hollis (J. & J. Boydell & G. Nicol Edition, 1794) 1760  
06.- Portion of a Shield in Silver by Vechte for Hunt and Roskell of London by John Alfred Vinter Portion of a Shield (John Milton dictating his epic poem, "Paradise Lost", to his daughter.) by John Alfred Vinter John Alfred Vinter (London, 1828 - 1905) Original Lithograph Day & Son, London 1852  

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