Facius G S (6 results)

Condition: Good. Engraving. 56 x 68.5 cm (sheet). Good, sheet mounted to another support sheet, some losses in the garment of the mother and cushion below, light specks of foxing, some holes and surface soiling, mainly in the margins.

Original copper engraving (44 x 60 cm, overall sheet 53.5 x 66 cm). Tissue guard to verso. Light foxing to lower margin not affecting print. From "A Collection of Prints . Illustrating the Dramatic Works of Shakespeare." published by Boydell, London, 1803. In 1789, the publisher John Boydell opened the Shakespeare Gallery, an exhibition space in London's Pall Mall showcasing paintings that exclusively represented scenes from Shakespeare's plays. The Gallery was a bid to revive 'history painting' (the practice of depicting scenes from the Bible, mythology or the classics) in contemporary British art, a genre thought to be of great public benefit because of its morally instructive messages. What better unifying theme for such a project than the works of Shakespeare, which had become so popular and so integral to British identity by the mid-18th century? The Gallery opened in May 1789 with 34 canvases by 18 British artists. By the next year there were 55 paintings and in 1796 the total was 84, along with dozens of 'Small Pictures'. Once the exhibition was mounted, reproductive engravings of the paintings produced by an in-house team of 46 printmakers were available to purchase, either as a large portfolio of 90 prints or as a luxurious illustrated edition of the plays. (The British Library).

Original copper engraving (44 x 60 cm, overall sheet 55 x 68 cm). Light scattered foxing to outer margins and lightly to upper half of plate. From "A Collection of Prints . Illustrating the Dramatic Works of Shakespeare." published by Boydell, London, 1803. In 1789, the publisher John Boydell opened the Shakespeare Gallery, an exhibition space in London's Pall Mall showcasing paintings that exclusively represented scenes from Shakespeare's plays. The Gallery was a bid to revive 'history painting' (the practice of depicting scenes from the Bible, mythology or the classics) in contemporary British art, a genre thought to be of great public benefit because of its morally instructive messages. What better unifying theme for such a project than the works of Shakespeare, which had become so popular and so integral to British identity by the mid-18th century? The Gallery opened in May 1789 with 34 canvases by 18 British artists. By the next year there were 55 paintings and in 1796 the total was 84, along with dozens of 'Small Pictures'. Once the exhibition was mounted, reproductive engravings of the paintings produced by an in-house team of 46 printmakers were available to purchase, either as a large portfolio of 90 prints or as a luxurious illustrated edition of the plays. (The British Library).

Original copper engraving (44 x 60 cm, overall sheet 55.5 x 68 cm). Tissue guard to verso. Some foxing to lower margin, not affecting plate. From "A Collection of Prints . Illustrating the Dramatic Works of Shakespeare." published by Boydell, London, 1803. In 1789, the publisher John Boydell opened the Shakespeare Gallery, an exhibition space in London's Pall Mall showcasing paintings that exclusively represented scenes from Shakespeare's plays. The Gallery was a bid to revive 'history painting' (the practice of depicting scenes from the Bible, mythology or the classics) in contemporary British art, a genre thought to be of great public benefit because of its morally instructive messages. What better unifying theme for such a project than the works of Shakespeare, which had become so popular and so integral to British identity by the mid-18th century? The Gallery opened in May 1789 with 34 canvases by 18 British artists. By the next year there were 55 paintings and in 1796 the total was 84, along with dozens of 'Small Pictures'. Once the exhibition was mounted, reproductive engravings of the paintings produced by an in-house team of 46 printmakers were available to purchase, either as a large portfolio of 90 prints or as a luxurious illustrated edition of the plays. (The British Library).

Original copper engraving (44 x 60 cm, overall sheet 55.5 x 68 cm). Tissue guard to verso. Light foxing to margins, not affecting plate. From "A Collection of Prints . Illustrating the Dramatic Works of Shakespeare." published by Boydell, London, 1803. In 1789, the publisher John Boydell opened the Shakespeare Gallery, an exhibition space in London's Pall Mall showcasing paintings that exclusively represented scenes from Shakespeare's plays. The Gallery was a bid to revive 'history painting' (the practice of depicting scenes from the Bible, mythology or the classics) in contemporary British art, a genre thought to be of great public benefit because of its morally instructive messages. What better unifying theme for such a project than the works of Shakespeare, which had become so popular and so integral to British identity by the mid-18th century? The Gallery opened in May 1789 with 34 canvases by 18 British artists. By the next year there were 55 paintings and in 1796 the total was 84, along with dozens of 'Small Pictures'. Once the exhibition was mounted, reproductive engravings of the paintings produced by an in-house team of 46 printmakers were available to purchase, either as a large portfolio of 90 prints or as a luxurious illustrated edition of the plays. (The British Library).

The Battle of Chesma Folding engraved map with contemporary hand-colour in outline. A scarce map showing the Battle of Chesma in 1770, fought between Russian and Ottoman fleets during the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774). The battle was fought in the prelude to the Greek War of Independence, and was a crushing defeat for the Ottoman navy. The accompanying French text is based upon a Russian map 'Plan Pobedy Imperatorskim Rossiiskim Flotom pod Kommando In Generala Grafa Orlova Nad Turetskim'. The engraver Georg Sigismund Facius was born in Regensburg in 1750 and was educated together with his twin brother Johann Gottlieb in Brussels, where their father was working as Russian consul. They worked in Bonn in the early 1770s and produced several maps concerning the Russo-Turkish War. In 1776 they moved to London, where they worked for Boydell as print engravers. No examples recorded in libraries worldwide.