Robert Thew & James Northcote

Shakspeare. King Richard the Third, Act III, Scene I. Publish'd March 1: 1791, by John & Josiah Boydell at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall, & at No. 90, Cheapside, London. Engraved by R. Thew., Histrl. Engraver to the Prince of Wales. Painted by James Northcote.

[Enter York, Hastings, and Cardinal Bourchier]

Duke of Buckingham. Now, in good time, here comes the duke of York.

Edward V, the Prince of Wale. Richard of York! How fares our noble brother?

Richard, the Duke of York. Well, my dread lord; so must I call you now.

Edward V, the Prince of Wale. Ay, brother; to our grief, as it is yours:
Too late he died that might have kept that title,
Which by his death hath lost much majesty.

Duke of Gloucester. How fares our cousin, noble lord of York?

Richard, the Duke of York. I thank you gentle uncle. O, my lord,
You said, that idle weeds are fast in growth:
The prince my brother has outgrown me far.

Duke of Gloucester. He hath, my lord

Richard, the Duke of York. And therefore is he idle?

Duke of Gloucester. O my fair cousin, I must not say so.

Richard, the Duke of York. Then he is more beholding to you than I.

Duke of Gloucester. He may command me as my sovereign,
But you have power in me as in a kinsman.

Richard, the Duke of York. I pray you, uncle, give me this dagger.

Duke of Gloucester. My dagger, little cousin? With all my heart... * Shakespeare

This original engraving is based upon a William Shakespeare play, "King Richard the Third. Act III, Scene I". It portrays the reunion of Edward V, the Prince of Wales and his brother, Richard, the Duke of York with the Duke of Gloucester, Duke of Buckingham, Catesby, Lord Hastings, Cardinal Bourchier, the Lord Mayor and his Train. The man to the left of the young princes is the Duke of Buckingham and to the right we see Cardinal Bourchier (the man who has brought the boys out from their sanctuary). The Duke of Gloucester, the future King Richard III, stands before them, other characters portrayed in this scene include, Catesby, Lord Hastings, the Lord Mayor and his Train. Both the Prince of Wales and his brother, the Duke of York are to be escorted to the Tower of London. (The text above discloses their conversation.)

This original engraving is an 'Open Letter Proof Impression'. 3. 'Open Letter Proofs'. These impressions bear the title of the play. the heading, 'Shakspeare' (Shakespeare), is yet to be filled in with stippling. These impressions were printed before the publication of the first edition and were probably struck from the plate at a customer's request. Perhaps ten to twenty Open Letter Proofs exist for each engraving. The text below the image of this proof impression reads;

"Shakspeare. King Richard the Third, Act III, Scene I. Publish'd March 1: 1791, by John & Josiah Boydell at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall, & at No. 90, Cheapside, London. Engraved by R. Thew., Histrl. Engraver to the Prince of Wales. Painted by James Northcote."

Note: As this is an original proof impression, it lacks the following text that appears in later impressions.

Prince. Richard of York! How fares our noble brother?
York. Well, my dread lord; so must I call you now.
Prince. Ay, brother; to our grief, as it is yours:
Too late he died that might have kept that title,
Which by his death hath lost much majesty.
Glo. How fares our cousin, noble lord of York?

An Important Note on Boydell States and Editions: Proof impressions and true first edition impressions are easily identified by their fine lines and strong contrasts of black and white tones. Later more common editions print in a more overall grey tone and contain areas of re-working. Briefly, the publishing history of these great engravings can be categorized into five states or editions:

1. 'Artist's Proofs'. These are the earliest of states and were printed in only a handful of impressions. They are identified not only by their vibrant lines and tones but by the fact that they lack any letters along the lower margin.
2. 'Proofs Before Title'. These impressions usually contain the names of the artist, publisher and engraver along the lower margin. They lack the title of the specific play depicted and usually the heading -- 'Shakspeare' -- is smaller than in the published edition. Once again, this state was printed in a very small numbers.
3. 'Open Letter Proofs'. These impressions bear the title of the play. the heading, 'Shakspeare' (Shakespeare), is yet to be filled in with stippling. These impressions were printed before the publication of the first edition and were probably struck from the plate at a customer's request. Perhaps ten to twenty Open Letter Proofs exist for each engraving.
4. 'First Edition Impressions'. The completed set of Boydell's Shakespeare engravings was published in London in 1803. The full publisher's address appears along the lower margin as well as the text for the play. The heading, 'Shakspeare', is now filled in with stippling. Both first edition impressions and proofs were most often printed on either hand-made, laid paper or wove paper bearing the 'J. Whatman' watermark.
5. 'Posthumous Impressions and Restrikes' As early as 1807, John Stockdale of London issued a second edition of the Shakespeare prints. They continued to be published throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. Finally, in 1852, an enterprising dentist in New York City (with the delightful name of Shearjashub Spooner) acquired the plates, restored them and produced the last edition. These prints are most commonly offered for sale.

The artist biographies, research and or information pertaining to all the original works of art posted on our pages has been written and designed by Greg & Connie Peters exclusively for our site, (www.artoftheprint.com). Please visit us regularly to view the latest artworks offered for sale. We will soon be posting an update of our most recent research and include the biographical and historical information pertaining to our next collection of original works of art created by artists throughout the centuries. We hope you found the information you were looking for and that it has been beneficial.

Our Gallery, (Art of the Print / www.artoftheprint.com) guarantees the authenticity of every work of art we sell 100%. Full documentation and certification is provided. We offer a wide selection of international fine art dating from the early Renaissance to the contemporary art period.