Prints and Principles

Most of the recent posts give details about individual prints and earlier posts discuss some of the subtle principles guiding artists in making images meaningful and memorable. For prints that are unsold, click "Items still available for sale" below. All other prints are no longer available. My contact email is oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com and my Instagram username is @printsandprinciples. I have created a separate blog to show my own work: https://printsandprinciplesjamesbrown.blogspot.com

Friday, 5 September 2025

Robert Robinson, “Good Herdsman”, c.1683–95, after Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Robert Robinson (fl.1674–1706)

“Good Herdsman”, c.1683–95, mezzotint after a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (aka Pieter Brueghel; Pieter Breugel) (1526/30–1569), after an engraving in the reverse direction by Abraham Blooteling (aka Abraham Blootelingh; Abraham Blotelingh) (1640–1690), published by John Smith (the mezzotinter) (1652–1743).

Mezzotint on fine laid paper with a small margin around the platemark.

Size: (sheet) 14.8 x 20.4cm; (plate) 14 x 19.5cm; (image borderline) 12.7 x 19.3cm.

Inscribed in plate below the image borderline: (left) “Brugill pinx.”; (right) “Jo. Smith. ex.”

See the description of this print offered by the National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw60640.

The Curator of the British Museum offers the following insight about this print: “This is a copy in reverse of an engraving by Abraham Blooteling (Hollstein 75), which derives from a detail in the top left corner of an engraving by Philips Galle after Pieter Bruegel the elder, illustrating the parable of the Good Shepherd (Bastelaer 122)” (see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1876-1111-34). The British Museum also offers the following description of this print: “Shepherd, bearded and wearing a hat, fending off a dog with his crook; two sheep and a goat flee into woods to right; thistles in the foreground, landscape of hills in the background” (inv. no. 1932,0623.16).

Condition: a richly inked and well-printed (near faultless) impression. Beyond remarks by previous collectors on verso, the sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains.

I am selling this superb early impression of a very beautiful and richly inked mezzotint that still retains the polishing marks in the writing edge, for the total cost of AU$287 (approximately US$188.25, EUR 160.57, or GBP 139.37), this includes worldwide express postage and handling. Please note that any applicable import duties or taxes imposed by the destination country are the responsibility of the buyer.

If you are interested in purchasing this exceptionally fine and rare mezzotint, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Note that currently mail services from Australia to the USA have been suspended. Consequently, at the moment I am unable to accept purchases needing shipping to the United States.

This print has been sold