Valentine Green’s mezzotint, “Joseph Carreras, in the Common Parlour at Houghton”, 1775

Valentine Green (1739–1813)

“Joseph Carreras, in the Common Parlour at Houghton”, 1775, plate 15 from the series of 129 prints “Houghton Gallery” (vol. 1, featuring 62 plates)—the series showcases paintings that were once in the collection of Sir Robert Walpole at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, but are now in the collection of the Hermitage—after the intermediary drawing by George Farington (1752–1788), after the painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller (aka Gottfried Kniller) (1646–1723), published in London by John Boydell (1719–1804).

Mezzotint printed in warm black ink on laid paper with small margins.

Size: (sheet) 21.6 x 16.7 cm; (plate) 17.6 x 12.7 cm; (image borderline) 15.4 x 12.6 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left) “S^r.Godfrey Kneller Pinx^t.,/ G. Farington delin^t./ F1  F1 ./ Size of the picture 2.4½ by 2.10 in height.”; (centre) “JOSEPH CARRERAS./  In the Common Parlour at Houghton./ Published Nov^r. 1. 1775 by [crest with motto ‘Fari Quae Sentiat’] Jn^o. Boydell Engraver in Cheapside London.”; (right) “Val. Green Engraver/ to his Majesty fecit.”

LeBlanc 74; Chaloner Smith 20; Whitman 54

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Portrait, half-length, sitting at a table, writing, turned to left, a leather strap hanging diagonally from left shoulder, bare-headed with shirt collar open, looking across to right; after Kneller. Plate 15 of Vol.1 of the 'Houghton Gallery'. 1775 Mezzotint” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_Kk-4-17).

The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers the following information regarding Joseph Carreras (fl.1686; died 1732): “a Spanish poet and cleric who served as chaplain to Catherine of Braganza, the dowager queen of Charles II” (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/368853).

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression with small margins. There are light surface abrasions and verso has thinness at the corners where the print must once have been hinged, otherwise the sheet is in very good condition with no tears, holes, folds, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this exquisite small mezzotint of great beauty—my eye is drawn to the velvety jet blacks contrasting with the finely rendered white collar and the subtle tonal transitions rendering the leather strap angled across the figure’s chest—for a total cost of AU$264 (currently US$192.42/EUR168.14/GBP140.28 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 small mezzotint masterwork, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.