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