Richard Earlom’s mezzotint with etching, “The Larder”, 1775, after Maarten de Vos

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

“The Larder” (aka “Koopman shows displayed game, artichokes, pumpkins and a lobster”), 1775, after the painting of the same composition by Maarten de Vos (aka Maerten de Vos) (1532–1603), after the intermediary design by Joseph Farington (1747–1821), from the series of 129 prints after paintings in the collection of Sir Robert Walpole at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, “Houghton Gallery”, published in London in 1775 by John Boydell (1719–1804).

Mezzotint with etching on heavy laid paper trimmed with a small margin around the plate and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (support sheet) 51.6 x 65.5 cm; (plate) 45.5 x 58.1 cm; (image borderline) 42.3 x 57.9 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left) “Martin de Vos Pinxit./ Joseph Fanington delin[?]^t„”; (centre with text broken by crest bearing the motto, “FARI QUÆ SENTIAT” [to say what one feels]) “John Boydell excudit 1775,/ THE LARDER/ In the Common Parlour at Houghton./ Size of Picture, ^F5.^I8 by ^F7.^I10½  in Length./ Published Nov^r. 1^st 1775, by John Boydell Engraver in Cheapside London.”; (right) “Rich^d. Earlom Sculp^t.”

State ii (of ii) with the addition of lettered publication details.

Wessely (Earlom) 113-2(2) (Joseph Eduard Wessely 1886, “Richard Earlom: Verzeichniss seiner Radirungen und Schabkunstblätter”, Hamburg, p. 45, cat. no. 113-II); Rubinstein 21; LeBlanc 57; Andresen 47 (Andreas Andresen 1870–73, “Handbuch für Kupferstichsammler oder Lexicon der Kupferstecher, Maler-Radirer und Formschneider aller Länder und Schulen... auf Grundlage von Heller's pract. Handbuch für Kupferstichsammler”, Leipzig, vol. 1, p. 426, cat. no. 47).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print before lettering for publication: “A smiling man on the far left, holding up a rabbit, and looking to the left; table at front with a variety of game and other foods, cat on the far left clawing a string of small birds, dog at right, surprised by a cat under the table” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1842-0806-222).

See also the description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.70416.

Condition: a richly inked and strong impression of amazing quality with small margins around the platemark and laid upon a sheet of millennium quality washi paper. Beyond a few restored abrasions, the sheet is in an excellent condition.

I am selling this exceptionally rare masterwork of mezzotint, showing the full spectrum of tones from sparkling whites, translucent soft greys to the darkest of velvety blacks, for AU$535 (currently US$343.54/EUR342.30/GBP301.25 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 mezzotint seldom seen on the art market—note that even the Metropolitan Museum of Art does not hold a copy of this rare print—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