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SMITH, John Raphael after Thomas GAINSBOROUGH
His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales
London: Published by J.R. Smith, No. 83 Oxford Street, April 28, 1783. Mezzotint. State iii/x, with the plate reworked. Same inscription as previous states but re-engraved; three of the b's (in by Thos, by John, and Publish'd) now have loops in them. Traces of the previous incriptions are still visible. In good condition apart from some skillfully mended tears. Trimmed on the plate mark on bottom margin. Image Size: 24 1/8 x 17 13/16 inches. Plate mark: 25 13/16 x 17 7/8 inches. Sheet size: 26 x 18 1/4 inches.
This stunning portrait of George, the Prince of Wales was John Raphael Smith's most famous mezzotint, and earned him the title of Mezzotint Engraver to the King.
A highly influential figure in the late eighteenth-century British art world, John Raphael Smith was the most robust and prolific printmaker of his time. During his prodigious career, Smith produced nearly 400 prints, 130 of which were of his own design. The remainder reproduced painting by such noted British artists as Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, and Joseph Wright of Derby. Smith was an incredibly astute businessman and soon became an impresario of the print-publishing trade. At the 1783 exhibition of the Society of Artists, Smith exhibited his print of the Prince of Wales. This clever bit of marketing precipitated his appointment as the Regent's mezzotint engraver, immediately making him even more desirable to an art market hungry for quality prints. This large impressive plate was so popular that it underwent seven reworks over a period of thirty years so that figure of the Prince would correspond with the Regent's changing body shape and costume. (D'Oench)
Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits 167; Russell, English Mezzotint Portraits, and their States 167; Frankau, An 18th Century Artist and Engraver: John Raphael Smith..358; D'Oench, Copper into Gold, Prints by John Raphael Smith p. 85-86, p. 216-217 #218; C.G Boerner, English Mezzotints from the Lennox-Boyd Collection 62; O'Donoghue, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits... in the British Museum 19; Lennox-Boyd & Stogdon, state iii/x
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#7673 $1,850.00 
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© 2002-2005 Donald A. Heald
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