Valentine Green’s mezzotint, “Roman Charity”, 1783, after Adriaen van der Werff

Valentine Green (1739–1813)

“Roman Charity”, 1783, after the painting in the (Museum: Royal Collection) by Adriaen van der Werff (aka Adrien Vanderwerff) (1659–1722), “Cimon and Pero” (aka “Caritas Romana” [Roman Charity]), c.1695, in the Royal Collection Trust (London), published in London by Torre & Co (fl.1760–99)—in collaboration with Valentine Green and his son, Rupert Green (1767/8–1804).

Mezzotint with a small margin around the platemark backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 64.9 x 47 cm; (plate) 63.9 x 46 cm; (image borderline) 61 x 45.8 cm.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “Painted by Chev.r A.Vanderwerff.”; (centre) “ROMAN CHARITY./ From the Original Picture in the Possession of Edmund Antrobus Esq.r/ Publish'd June 20th. 1783, by V. Green & Son No,, 29, Newman Street, Oxford Street, London./ Se vend chez les Freres Torrè, Marchands des Estampes.”; (right) “Engrav'd by V Green Mezzotinto Engraver to his Majesty & to the Elector Palatine.”

Whitman 280 (Alfred Whitman 1902, “Valentine Green”, London, A H Bullen, p. 173, cat. no. 280 [see this catalogue online:

https://archive.org/details/valentinegreen00whit/page/172/mode/2up/search/Roman+Charity]).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Pero visiting her father in prison, standing on the right and offering him her breast, while he languishes chained to the wall; Pero's baby lying behind her, and two Roman soldiers …[watching] from the window above”

(https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3369872&page=1&partId=1&peoA=23152-1-7&people=23152).

Condition: well-printed impression with restored abrasions and tears, trimmed with a small margin around the platemark and laid onto a support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling large and spectacular mezzotint by one of the most famous mezzotinters of his time illustrating the slightly bizarre account from the Roman historian, Valerius Maximus, about a chained prisoner left to starve, but kept alive by his daughter’s milk, for the total cost of AU$544 (currently US$323.49/EUR297.90/GBP274.85 at the time of 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 darkly beautiful mezzotint from the 18^th century, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.