Richard Earlom, “Still Life of Fruit and Flowers”, 1723, after Jan van Huysum

Richard Earlom (aka Henry Birche) (1743–1822)

“Still Life of Fruit and Flowers”, or “A Fruit Piece” (as titled in the plate), 1723

Technical Details & Condition:

Mezzotint with stippling and etching on laid paper with a watermark. The sheet is trimmed with a small margin around the image borderline and publication details, and it is backed with a support sheet providing wide margins. 

This print is from the series “Houghton Gallery” and represents the final (third) state, featuring the title and publication details as issued. It is after an intermediary drawing by Joseph Farington (1747–1821), based on the painting (1723) by Jan van Huysum (1682–1749). The print was published in London by John Boydell (1719–1804) in 1781.

The impression is strong, richly inked, and well-printed. The sheet is in fair condition, with restored holes and tears.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 55.5 x 41.3 cm
• Image borderline: 50.5 x 39.4 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• On stone ledge at left: “Jan Van Huysum / fecit 1723”.
• Lower left: “Van Huysum Pinxit. / Joseph Farington delin^t.”
• Lower centre (with coat of arms, “FARI QUÆ SENTIAT”): “John Boydell excudit 1781. / A FRUIT PIECE. / In the Cabinet at Houghton. / Size of the picture F[eet] 2,I[nches] 2 by F2, I7 high. / Published Sep^r. 1^st. 1781 by John Boydell Engraver in Cheapside London.”
• Lower right: “Rich^d. Earlom Sculpsit.”

References:

• Wessely 145 (Joseph Eduard Wessely, Richard Earlom: Verzeichniss seiner Radirungen und Schabkunstblätter, 1886, Hamburg, Haendcke & Lehmkuhl, p. 57, cat. no. 145)
• LeBlanc 54 (Charles Le Blanc, Manuel de l'amateur d'estampes, contenant un dictionnaire des graveurs de toutes les nations, 1856, vol. 2, p. 180, cat. no. 54)
• Rijksmuseum:  https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200148924
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1838-0420-206

Price & Shipping:

AU$678 (approximately US$467.23 / €405.50 / £354.12), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this breathtaking large mezzotint—one of the masterpieces of this technically demanding technique, requiring infinite skill and patience to capture the full spectrum of tones from sparkling whites and translucent greys to the darkest of velvety blacks—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll be happy to provide a PayPal invoice for a smooth and secure purchase.

This print has been sold 

Richard Earlom’s mezzotint with etching, “A Flower Piece”, 1778, after Jan van Huysum

Richard Earlom (aka Henry Birche) (1743–1822)

“A Flower Piece” (aka “Floral Still Life” [Rijksmuseum title]), 1779, from the series, “Houghton Gallery”, after the intermediary drawing by Joseph Farington (1747–1821), after the painting (1722) by Jan van Huysum (1682–1749), published in London by John Boydell (1719–1804) in 1778.

Regarding the portrayed subject, the Rijksmuseum offers the following insights: “From around 1720, an international collection was not complete if it did not include a still life by Jan van Huysum. Sir Robert Walpole even owned four flower paintings by the master. This print was made after one of them. Van Huysum brought the art of floral still life painting to new heights, replacing the usual dark background with a park landscape, so that the flowers seem to be set on a ledge out of doors” (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.70422).

Mezzotint with dot-roulette on laid paper trimmed close to the image borderline and publication details, backed with a support sheet.                         

Size: (sheet) 55.8 x 40.9 cm; (image borderline) 50.8 x 39.7 cm.

Inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (on stone ledge at right) “Jan Van Huysum fecit 1722”.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left) “J. Van Huysum Pinx.t./ Joseph Farington delin^t..”; (centre with text broken by the coat of arms, “FARI QUÆ SENTIAT”) “A FLOWER PIECE./ In the Cabinet at Houghton./ published June, 25^th. 1778 by John Boydell Engraver in Cheapside London.”; (right) “Rich^d.. Earlom Sculpsit.”

State iii (of iii) with publication details.

Wessely 144 (Joseph Eduard Wessely 1886, “Richard Earlom: Verzeichniss seiner Radirungen und Schabkunstblätter”, Hamburg, Haendcke & Lehmkuhl); Rubinstein 59 (Gregory M Rubinstein 1991, “Richard Earlom (1743–1822) and Boydell's Houghton Gallery”, “Print Quarterly”, Vol VIII, London); LeBlanc 53; Andresen 41.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “A rich bouquet of flowers in a vase with classical reliefs, placed on a marble ledge in a park, beside it on the left is a small nest with bird's eggs, classical [sculpture] in the distance on the far right and a wide vase on a pedestal on the left; coat of arms at bottom” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1842-0806-207).

Condition: a strong impression with restorations especially in the margins where there are also replenished losses. The sheet has been laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling this exceptionally rare and large mezzotint—the flower pieces by Earlom are true masterworks of mezzotint requiring infinite skill and patience to capture the full spectrum of tones from sparkling whites, translucent soft greys to the darkest of velvety blacks of the portrayed flowers—for AU$662 (currently US$442.48/EUR400.36/GBP352.43 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this simply breathtaking mezzotint showing a floral display resting on a stone pedestal in what appears to be parklands with classical sculptures in the distance, complete with butterflies and a bird's nest with three eggs, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

Richard Earlom’s mezzotint, “A Fruit Piece”, 1776

Richard Earlom (aka Henry Birche) (1743–1822)

“A Fruit Piece”, 1776, from the series, “Houghton Gallery”, after the intermediary drawing by Joseph Farington (1747–1821) after the painting by Michelangelo di Campidoglio (aka Michelangelo di Pace) (1610–1670), published by John Boydell (1719–1804) in 1776.

Mezzotint with stipple and etching on laid paper.                         

Size: (sheet) 37.3 x 41.7 cm; (plate) 30.5 x 35.2 cm; (image borderline) 26.5 x 35 cm.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) M. Angelo Campidoglio Pinxit. / Joseph Farington delint.”; (centre with text broken by the coat of arms, “FARI QUÆ SENTIAT”) John Boydel excudit 1776 / A FRUIT PIECE. / In the Marble Parlour at Houghton. / size of the Picture […] in Length. / Published Septr. 30th. 1776 by John Boydell Engraver in Cheapside London."; (right) “Richd. Earlom Scupsit.”

Lifetime impression of the published state by Boydell (1776).

Wessely 1886 148 (Joseph Eduard Wessely 1886, “Richard Earlom: Verzeichniss seiner Radirungen und Schabkunstblätter”, Hamburg, Haendcke & Lehmkuhl); Rubinstein 1991 41 (Gregory M Rubinstein 1991, “Richard Earlom (1743–1822) and Boydell's Houghton Gallery”, “Print Quarterly”, Vol VIII, London).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“A basket on a stone step, grapes on the vine, apples, figs and other fruit spilling from it and lying on the ground, a lizard in the foreground at right, the base of a pyramid in the background at right; coat of arms at bottom”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1623851&partId=1&searchText=earlom+a+fruit+piece&page=1)

Condition: superb early impression showing very few signs of wear to the printing plate. The sheet is in excellent condition for its considerable age and has generous margins and a collector’s ink stamp verso.

I am selling this exceptionally rare still life masterwork of mezzotint, showing the full spectrum of tones from sparkling whites, translucent soft greys to the darkest of velvety blacks, for AU$556 (currently US$397.80/EUR350.06/GBP301.53 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this stunningly beautiful still life seldom seen on the art market, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy

This print has been sold

Richard Earlom’s mozzotint (with stipple and etching), “A Fruit Piece” (after Jan van Huysum), 1781

Richard Earlom (aka Henry Birche) (1743–1822)

“A Fruit Piece”, 1781, after the painting executed in 1723 and now in the Hermitage, St Petersburg by Jan van Huysum (1682­–1749), after the intermediary drawing by Joseph Farington (1747–1821), from the series, “Houghton Gallery” (after paintings in Robert Walpole's collection, sold in 1779 to Catherine the Great), published by John Boydell (1719–1804). (Note that the “Houghton Gallery” is a two-volume collection of 160 prints involving 45 engravers in the project; see BM no. 2005,U.109)

Mezzotint with stipple and etching on laid paper with small margins lined with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 56.3 x 43.2 cm; (plate) 55.4 x 41.7 cm; (image borderline) 50.3 x 39.1 cm

Inscribed within the image borderline: (lower left) "Jan Van Huysum / fecit 1723"

Scratch inscribed (before publication lettering) on plate below the image borderline: (left) “Van Huysum pinx”; (centre) “Jon Boydel excudit 1782 / Published Sepr 1st. 1781 by John Boydell engraver in Cheapside London."; (right) Richd Earlom Sculp / 1781”

State ii (of iii?) (See a first state impression held by the British Museum: no. 1842,0806.206; a second state impression: BM no.1868,0822.2013; a third state impression: BM no. 1838,0420.206).

Wessely 1886 145 (J E Wessely 1886, “Richard Earlom, Verzeichniss seiner Radirungen und Schabkunstblätter”, Hamburg); Rubinstein 1991 60 (Gregory M Rubinstein 1991, “Richard Earlom (1743-1822) and Boydell's Houghton Gallery”, Print Quarterly, Vol VIII, London, pp.2–27); Hollstein 7 (after Huysum) (F W H Hollstein 1949, “Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts c.1450-1700”, Amsterdam); Chaloner Smith 1883 undescribed (John Chaloner Smith 1883, “British Mezzotinto portraits from the introduction of the art to the early part of the present century”, 4 vols, London)

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“A rich bouquet of flowers in a vase with classical reliefs; before it lie grapes, peaches, nuts and other fruits, all placed on a marble ledge; coat of arms at bottom; scratched letter proof before title; after Jan van Huysum.”

(http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1616429&partId=1&searchText=Earlom+flower&page=1)

Condition: a richly inked and well-printed impression with small margins in good condition (i.e. there are small restored tears and nicks to the edges and there are minor/visually unobtrusive abrasions, but there are no holes, folds, significant stains or foxing). The sheet is restored and laid upon a support sheet.

I am selling this large mezzotints which is one of Earlom's masterworks in an extremely rare scratch-lettered (proof) impression (i.e. an impression made before publication) for a total cost of AU$586 (currently US$459.93/EUR384.41/GBP339.19 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested this famous and important 18^th century mezzotint, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

This is one of the most celebrated flowerpiece mezzotints of the 18^th century because of its stunning display of technical virtuosity. In short, it is masterwork of mezzotint.

The curator of the British Museum offers the following information about this print:

“Earlom made this as a pair to his 'A Fruit Piece', also after van Huysum and published in 1781 in the Houghton Gallery (Wessely 145, Rubinstein 60). The pair quickly became celebrated, and Duchesne in his account of the prints on display in the Royal Library in Paris in 1823 remarked that Earlom had to re-engrave the plates to meet the demand, but that the second version was not as good as the first.” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1616438&partId=1&searchText=Earlom+flower&page=1)

This impression is not only from the desirable early edition it is also a proof before the published edition as is shown by the scratched lettering before the print was titled.

What is interesting about the subject is that it is rich in symbolism. Note for instance the many insects crawling amongst the greenery, the broken fruit and cracked-open nuts which all contribute to the vanitas theme of the impermanence of life. Like most of the famous flowerpieces, there is also allusions to the past. Here, the vase with its classical decoration is a reference to antiquity. Note also the droplets of water on the leaves and the misty background. These details when seen in context with the stone slab, fruit and fragrant flowers allude to the senses and, arguably, the four elements.