Introduction
What is a frontispiece? When did they first appear in print? Where do they sit in relation to the rest of a book’s contents? These are just some of the questions that this exhibition, 'Moving to the Left: The Art and Development of the Frontispiece', hopes to answer, with the help of just a few examples from the printed books in Special Collections, University of Otago.
Debate surrounds the frontispiece, a word coined into the English language about the 1600s (OED). In the early print period, it seems that the frontispiece and the title-page, usually an engraved one, were treated synonymously. The convention was to often find the frontispiece on the recto page, where the title-page would normally be. Some scholars claim that the first frontispieces appeared in print in the late 15th century. Judging from samples in Special Collections, the move to the left certainly occurred before the 1750s.
A whole host of individuals can have a hand in the creation of a frontispiece: authors, publishers, artists, engravers, etchers, and photographers. Sometimes the name of the artist and/or engraver is included. In this exhibition, there is the work of past artists and engravers such as Charles Turner, Samuel Wale, William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, William Rogers, Michael vanderGucht, and Wencelaus Hollar. Modern samples include work by Lyn Ward, Agnes Miller Parker, Wayne Seyb, and Marta Chudolinska. The binding process is also an important factor in placement of frontispieces; binders often disregarded instructions.
The exhibition is grouped into various subject headings such as Christian Symbolism, Emblematics, Classical Studies, Portraits, and Moderns, among others. Notable works on display include James Howell’s Londinopolis; An Historicall Discourse (1657); John Evelyn’s Sculptura (1662); Robert Nelson’s A Companion for the Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England (1732); Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy (1682); Edward Chamberlayne's Angliae Notitia: or the Present State of England.(1684); and John Milton's Paradise Lost (1688). Moderns include Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark (1903); Selma Lagerlöf's The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1950); and Mickey Spillane's I'll Die Tomorrow (2009).
According to the Dutch painter and art theorist, Gerard de Lairesse (1641-1711), in his The Art of Painting, all frontispiece compositions should have three distinctive qualities: one, they must be pleasing to the eye; two, they must reflect well on the author and artist; and three, they must help the book-seller actually sell the book. As you make your way through the exhibition, please consider some of these aspects in the art of the frontispiece.
Exhibition poster (2MB)
Handlist (3MB)
Exhibition
Opuscula Mythologica Physica et Ethica
Here is a copy of Gale's Opuscula Mythologica Physica et Ethica with the frontispiece placed on the left hand side and title page on the right.
Thomas Gale, Opuscula Mythologica Physica et Ethica. [Amsterdam: Henry] Wetstenium, 1688. Shoults Lb 1688 G, Copy 2
Opuscula Mythologica Physica et Ethica
The term frontispiece in books generally refers to a decorative or informative illustration facing the title page. Originally from the French frontispice (or the late Latin frontispicium, from the Latin frons (‘forehead’) and specere (‘to look at’)), it was first an architectural term, referring to the façade of a building. However, in the early print period, the convention was to often find the frontispiece on the recto page, where the title-page would normally be. Thus the terms frontispiece and the title-page, usually an engraved one, were treated synonymously. First mention of the frontispiece in English was in 1607 (OED), appearing in Henri Estienne’s World of Wonders. This book is one copy of Gale’s Opuscula Mythologica Physica et Ethica (1688) with the frontispiece sitting on the right hand side.
Thomas Gale, Opuscula Mythologica Physica et Ethica. [Amsterdam: Henry] Wetstenium, 1688. Shoults Lb 1688 G, Copy 1
Londinopolis; An Historicall Discourse; or, Perlustration of the City of London
According to the OED, the phrase ‘title-page’ was born into English about 1600. Scholar Michael Saenger promotes the use of ‘front matter’, a catch-all phrase that encompasses title-page, epistles, dedicatory verse, and others, including the frontispiece. At this time of book production, ‘front matter’ not only advertised the book, increasingly a commodity, but it also gave readers entrée into the text. The frontispiece portrait of a rather casual James Howell (1594?–1666), an Oxford-trained historian and political writer, invites the reader into his work. It was engraved by Claude Mellan and Abraham Bosse and first prefixed to the French translation and printing of Howell’s Dodona’s Grove (1641). Its later use raises a question of plate ownership.
James Howell, Londinopolis; An Historicall Discourse; or, Perlustration of the City of London. London: Printed by J. Streater for Henry Twiford, [and others], 1657. De Beer Ec 1657 H
The Book of Household Management: Also Sanitary, Medical, and Legal Memoranda
Isabella Beeton (1836-1865) wrote in the preface of her Book of Household Management: ‘The coloured plates are a novelty not without value.’ This colourful lithographic frontispiece depicting cherries, apricots and peaches, grapes, oranges, and other such delectables, conveys at least the food side of her 1861 classic. As seen from the sub-titles on the title-page opposite the frontispiece, the book also contains information ranging from the ‘cook’, ‘valet’, and ‘maid-of-all-work’, to ‘sanitary, medical and legal memoranda.’
Isabella Beeton, The Book of Household Management: Also Sanitary, Medical, and Legal Memoranda. London: Ward Lock, [1880]. Special Collections TX717 BD16 1880
Supplications of Saints: A Book of Prayers and Praises in Four Parts
Thomas Sorocold (1562–1617) was an English clergyman, who wrote Supplication of Saints, an extremely popular devotional aid containing a meditation on Christ’s life, death, and passion. Because the book contains prayers by Queen Elizabeth, a frontispiece image of her is attached. While many pictures of good Queen Bess aimed to reflect her agelessness, or contained associated symbols, like the rose, this particular woodcut is rather primitive. Its use in this late 17th century publication is at odds with some of the more sumptuous frontispiece illustrations extant from the Elizabethan times onwards.
Thomas Sorocold, Supplications of Saints: A Book of Prayers and Praises in Four Parts. London: Printed for Peter Parker, 1672. De Beer Eb 1672 S
The Bible, that is, the Holy Scriptures conteined in the Old and New Testament
The exact date that the frontispiece became a convention in printing and publishing is hard to pin down. Engraved title pages predate frontispieces, but confusingly some scholars use the terms ‘engraved title page’ and ‘frontispiece’ interchangeably. The Lutherans first used engraved title pages ‘as a means of pictorial propaganda’ in the early 16th century. They became a means to convey, in an aesthetically pleasing and usually symbolic way, the subject, title, and publication details of the book. This geometrically compartmentalised title page is from a Breeches or Geneva Bible. The tents of the twelve tribes are to the left; the twelve apostles are on the right; and the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, surround the heart enclosing the title.
___, The Bible, that is, the Holy Scriptures conteined in the Old and New Testament. London: By the Deputies of Christopher Barker, 1599. De Beer Eb 1599 B
Britannia
William Rogers (extant 1589-1604) was one of the most important English engravers of the Tudor period. Trained as a goldsmith, the engraving he executed for the fifth edition of William Camden’s seminal antiquarian work, Britannia, is full of symbolism. At the top, Britain, personified, sits on a rock with spear and standard in hand. The map of Britain, imprinted with the names of pre-Roman tribes, is flanked by Neptune and Ceres, depicting fertility on both land and sea. At the bottom, a ship, Stonehenge, Roman baths, and a church symbolise Britain’s formidable navy, her history, and strong Christian faith, respectively. Despite its position, to the right, this engraving is essentially a frontispiece, not a title page.
[Willliam Camden], Britannia. [London: Printed at Eliot’s Court Press], 1600. De Beer Eb 1600 C
Vita di S. Marco Evangelista
The interior of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice is ornately decorated with mosaics. Described as a ‘marble carpet’, the floor features colourful geometric designs, and animal and human motifs. The frontispiece to this volume, which details the life of Saint Mark and a description of the Church, reads: ‘Pavimento Della Basilica Di S. Marco’ (‘Floor of St Mark’s Basilica). Despite being in the right place, to the left of the title page, this frontispiece was most probably not part of the original publication; its sheet size is different from the rest of the book. The volume has been rebound and the image has been added by the binder. This sort of human intervention offers another example of why it is so hard to determine the exact date of when frontispieces began to appear on the left.
Giovanni Stringa, Vita di S. Marco Evangelista. [Venice: Francesco Rampazetto], 1610. De Beer Itb 1610 S
Sculptura: or The History, and Art of Chalcography and Engraving in Copper
On 21 February 1661, the 17th century diarist John Evelyn learnt from the German soldier and amateur artist Prince Rupert (1619-1682) ‘how to grave in mezzo tinto.’ One result of this activity was Evelyn’s Sculptura (1662), which contained the first announcement of the art of mezzotint, and which was the first book on the history of engraving published in England. This work also contains an allegorical engraved frontispiece designed by Evelyn himself and engraved by Abraham Hertochs, the Dutch engraver. Evelyn’s seated girl represents the Graphic Arts; Geoffrey Keynes, his bibliographer, called the image ‘painfully banal’.
John Evelyn, Sculptura: or The History, and Art of Chalcography and Engraving in Copper. London: Printed by J.C. for G. Beedle [and others], 1662. De Beer Eb 1662 E
Travels in China
John Barrow (1764-1848; later Sir John) travelled to China from 1792 to 1794 as part of the first British Embassy expedition. Not only does his Travels to China (1804) recount an early Western visit to that country, but it is also the first book on China to be illustrated by aquatint, a process that gives tonal effects to an image, like a wash of watercolour. William Alexander, also a member of the expedition, drew the portrait of ‘Van-ta-gin’ that forms this very colourful frontispiece. It was engraved by Thomas Medland (c.1765–1833), who also executed the other four aquatint illustrations in the book.
John Barrow, Travels in China. London: Printed by A. Strahan for T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1804. De Beer Ec 1804 B
Memoirs of Mrs. Siddons
Like aquatint, mezzotint is another tonal process. It is technically a drypoint method, where the engraver works the design from a black ground to the highlights, not from a white ground to the black lines or shadows. By roughening, using a rocker, and scraping, which removes the burr, the velvety quality of the image is formed. Noticeably, much less impressions are made from mezzotint than other image-making processes. While there were many European exponents, it was also popular in England, becoming known as la manière anglaise. One English master was Charles Turner (1774-1857), who specialized in portraiture. Here he has worked his magic to form a frontispiece of ‘Mrs Siddons’ after a painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence.
James Boaden, Memoirs of Mrs. Siddons. London: H. Colburn, 1827. De Beer Eb 1827 B
De Christo Imitando: Contemnendisque Mundi Vanitatibus Libellus
The term ‘frontispiece’ emerged into the English language around the start of the 17th century. In an increasingly saturated book market, publishers had to make editions more attractive to the buying public. ‘Front matter’, of which frontispieces are a part, was a way of advertising and framing the content of the text that followed. There can be no doubt as to the topic of this book. Jesus stands within an architectural framework, in the doorway of the book so to speak, inviting the reader inside. The Imitation of Christ, by German priest Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471), is one of the most widely read Christian texts in history; it has gone through hundreds of editions. This particular volume was printed by John Hayes, Cambridge University Printer, in 1685.
[Thomas à Kempis], De Christo Imitando: Contemnendisque Mundi Vanitatibus Libellus. [Cambridge: John Hayes], 1685. De Beer Eb 1685 D
Resolves: Divine, Moral, Political
Merchant and poet, Owen Feltham (c.1602-68) wrote the first part of his ethical and religious musings, Resolves, while still a teenager; it was first published in 1623. The frontispiece to this 1661 edition, albeit on the right hand side, is a reworking of that which appeared in the 1628 edition. The poem, to the left, provides an explanation for the symbolism in the engraving by Robert Vaughn (c.1600-64). Opinion and Ignorance have been anthropomorphised and are trying to pull the world down while Wisdom (Sapientia) and Truth (Veritas) pull it towards Heaven, and therefore Enlightenment. As Saenger (2006) states ‘The frontispiece emblematizes the spiritual dynamics with which the text is meant to engage the reader.'
Owen Feltham, Resolves: Divine, Moral, Political. London: Printed for Peter Dring, 1661. De Beer Ec 1661 F
A Companion for the Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England: With Collects and Prayers for Each Solemnity. Fifteenth edition
Robert Nelson’s (1656-1715) Companion is a catechetic work intended for use as a guide to the ‘Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England’. The frontispiece of this edition shows two Saints of the Church in the act of martyrdom. In the foreground, Stephen, who was falsely accused of blasphemy, is being stoned to death; and in the background, James the Greater, one of Jesus’ Apostles, is being beheaded by Herod Agrippa (11BC- 44AD). Above both of these scenes, angels appear holding crowns and palms, to be bestowed on the martyrs as they make their ascension into the Kingdom of God. This engraving, by Flemish engraver Michael van der Gucht (1660-1725), is a reworking of the same from a previous edition.
Robert Nelson, A Companion for the Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England: With Collects and Prayers for Each Solemnity. Fifteenth edition. London: Printed for J. Walthoe, 1732. De Beer Eb 1732 N
Scripta in Naturali et Universali Philosophia
The diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) was a book collector of note, amassing a library of 3,000 volumes that is still extant at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He also collected ‘frontispieces’; some 888 are listed in the Catalogue of the Pepys Library, Vol. III Prints and Drawings (1980). Pepys, like others at the time, did not differentiate between ‘frontispiece’ and engraved title-page; they lumped them together. Special Collections has 14 identified ‘frontispieces’ owned by Pepys. The 1653 Elzevir edition of Bacon is no. 36, described by him as ‘three male figures standing round a globe on a pedestal (with title).’
Francis Bacon, Scripta in Naturali et Universali Philosophia. [Amsterdam: Elzevir], 1653. Shoults Lb 1653 B
Opera
The sheet from the large format Cyprian in Pepys collection at Magdelene College, Cambridge is described by Pepys as a ‘frontispiece'. It is listed as no. 201 in Catalogue of the Pepys Library, Vol. III Prints and Drawings (1980). This Special Collections' copy shows a glade in a wood, with soldiers and civilians; in the foreground St Cyprian stands blindfolded with hands in prayer; behind, a warrior prepares to strike him with a sword; above, Fame, in an oval ray of light, extends a laurel wreath.’ Drawn by Wilhelm Sonmans, the image was engraved by Michael Burghers (c.1647–1727), a Dutch artist who lived in England.
Cyprian, Opera. [Oxford: Sheldonian Theatre], 1682. De Beer Ed 1682 C
An Essay on the First Book of T. Lucretius Carus De Rerum Natura
The Czech engraver Wenceslaus Hollar (1607–1677) lived in England and became one of the best artists of his time. He was prolific, executing some 400 drawings and 3000 etchings. He engraved the allegorical frontispiece to John Evelyn’s Essay on the First Book of T. Lucretius, its first appearance in English. The frontispiece was designed by Mary, Evelyn’s wife. Evelyn had training as a draftsman and he must have given her some instruction on composition. Although the head in profile in the wreathed medallion is supposed to be Lucretius, it is, as commentators have noted, very much like Evelyn himself.
John Evelyn, An Essay on the First Book of T. Lucretius Carus De Rerum Natura. London: Printed for Gabriel Bedle and Thomas Collins, 1656. De Beer Eb 1656 L
The Anatomy of Melancholy
Although placed on the right, this engraved ‘frontispiece’, so termed by Robert Burton (1577-1640) himself, depicts a wealth of symbolic information on his classic ‘melancholy’ text. First published in 1621, Anatomy was written to get Burton out of a bout of depression. The work also contained a poem explaining the ‘frontispiece’, which was engraved by Christian Le Blon. The engraver must have known Burton’s intricate text well, because each of the ten panels depict symbols and emblems that relate closely to the content.
Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy. Oxford: Printed for Henry Cripps, 1628. De Beer Ec 1628 B
The Anatomy of Melancholy
Special Collections' third edition of Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy (1628) lacks the explanatory poem, here is the 1866 printed version, offering descriptions and meanings to many of the emblems and symbols used: e.g. Frame II: Jealousy, including a kingfisher and a swan.
Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy. London: William Tegg, 1866. Shoults Eb 1866 B
An Impartial Collection of the Great Affairs of State, from the Beginning of the Scotch Rebellion in the MDCXXXIX. to the Murther of King Charles I
This fine line engraved frontispiece was executed by Robert White (1645-1703), a prolific artist, who was primarily a portrait engraver. Although readers of this book would have understood the meaning of the emblems and symbols used, there is an accompanying poem ‘The Mind of the Frontispiece’ that hammers home the perceived calamity and chaos in England up to the beheading of King Charles. Depicted are Janus-like priests, a cloven foot stamped on the Bible, a mitre, crown, and diadem (all representing regal power or dignity) thrown to the ground, the Royal coat of arms upside down, and a ‘forlorn’ ‘Britania’ (sic) crying. The only thing missing in this elaborate frontispiece are the Egyptian Frogs!
John Nalson, An Impartial Collection of the Great Affairs of State, from the Beginning of the Scotch Rebellion in the MDCXXXIX. to the Murther of King Charles I. London: Printed for S. Mearne, [and others], 1682. De Beer Ec 1682 N
Arriani Nicomedensis Expeditionis Alexandri Libri Septem et Historica Indica
If you were lucky enough to be educated in the 18th century, Classical Studies would have featured heavily in the curriculum. Most modern-day readers of this volume of Arrian’s (1st cent. AD) Anabasis of Alexander the Great’s conquests (4th cent. BC) would have to resort to Google to decipher the imagery in the frontispiece. Victory, personified, stands upon the peoples Alexander has vanquished – the Persians, the Egyptians, the Punjabis. The scene in the distance represents his Siege of Tyre, now in Turkey. Alexander, a military genius, built a mole or pier upon which to stand his siege towers. He breached the heavily fortified walls of the castle built on the island and conquered the city-state – ‘Tyre was his [military] masterpiece’ (Cartledge, 2004).
[Arrian of Nicomedia], Arriani Nicomedensis Expeditionis Alexandri Libri Septem et Historica Indica. [Amsterdam]: Apud Wetstenium, 1757. Shoults Lb 1757 A
Q. Horatius Flaccus. Third edition
This frontispiece, from Richard Bentley’s 1728 edition of Roman lyric poet Horace’s works, is full of symbolism and imagery. A bust of Horace (65-8 BC) sits on a plinth centre stage; and on the right stands Apollo, the god of lyric poetry (among other things), recognisable from his long hair, lyre, laurel wreath, and bow and arrows. On the left, Euterpe, one of the nine Muses, crouches, grasping her signature flute. On the far right, the god Pan, associated with rustic music, in his guise as a satyr with his goat hooves and horns, is embraced by a cherub who removes his theatre mask. Dutch artist Jan Goeree (1670-1731) was responsible for drawing the image after which the engraving was made for printing.
Edited by Richard Bentley, Q. Horatius Flaccus. Third edition. [Amsterdam]: Apud Rod. & Jacob. Wetstenios & Guil. Smith, 1728. De Beer Lc 1728 H
The Argonautics of Apollonius Rhodius, in Four Books
There can be no doubt that the image to the left of the title page of this volume of Apollonius’s Argonautics is a frontispiece – it is labelled as such. The scene most probably depicts Jason leaving Queen Hypsipyle and the island of Lemnos. The engraving from the artwork of one ‘W. Hamilton’ is by Charles Grignion (1721-1810). After training in Paris and London, Grignion embarked upon a career as an historical artist and engraver. His early style is characterised as ‘energetic’, ‘elegant’, ‘bold’ and original’; the ODNB describes him as having a ‘light draughtsmanlike style in the French tradition’. Engraving well into his 80s, Grignion’s style suffered with old age and he died in poverty. Despite this, he is thought to be the ‘Father and Founder of the English School of Engraving’.
Francis Fawkes, The Argonautics of Apollonius Rhodius, in Four Books. London: Printed for J. Dodsley, 1780. De Beer Eb 1780 A
Angliae Notitia: or the Present State of England. The First Part. Fifteenth Edition
Edward Chamberlayne (1616-1703) first published his Present State of England in 1669; another two editions followed in the same year. The book is a record of every aspect of English society, and described as a ‘strong monarchist panegyric’. Over 30 editions were printed within 100 years, and each editon's frontispiece engravings represented a change, or not, of monarch. In 1684, Charles II (1630-85) was king after the Restoration in 1660. He is flanked by the two men who filled the highest-ranking offices in the Kingdom: on the left William Sancroft (1617-93), the Archbishop of Canterbury (left), and on the right, Francis North, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, who holds the purse in which he keeps the actual Seal.
Edward Chamberlayne, Angliae Notitia: or the Present State of England. The First Part. Fifteenth Edition. London: Printed for T. Sawbridge, and G. Wells, 1684. De Beer Eb 1684 C
Angliae Notitia: or, the Present State of England Compleat. Seventeenth Edition
By 1692, Chamberlayne’s Present State of England had been through seventeen editions, and there had been a change of monarch. Charles II died in 1685 and was succeeded by his brother James II (1633-1701). James, in turn, was replaced after the Glorious Revolution in 1688, by his nephew and his daughter, William and Mary, who had married in 1677. In the frontispiece of the 1692 volume, here, King William III (1650-1702) and Queen Mary II (1662-94) sit upon their thrones, holding their own royal sceptres but sharing the monarchical orb.
Edward and John Chamberlayne, Angliae Notitia: or, the Present State of England Compleat. Seventeenth Edition. London: Printed by T. Hodgkin, for R. Scot, [and others], 1692. De Beer Eb 1692 C
Angliae Notitiae: or, the Present State of England. Eighteenth Edition
In 1694, William and Mary are still in power, and the publisher has reused the same engraving for the eighteenth edition of the Chamberlaynes' Present State.
Edward and John Chamberlayne, Angliae Notitiae: or, the Present State of England. Eighteenth Edition. London: Printed by T. Hodgkin, for R. Scot, [and others], 1694. De Beer Eb 1694 C
![Angliae Notitia: or the Present State of England. [Twenty-first edition]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/ourheritagemedia%2Foriginal%2F29e3c0b8b7a92bd33f641b4ecc949d42.jpg)
Angliae Notitia: or the Present State of England. [Twenty-first edition]
Edward Chamberlayne died in 1703 and the business of continuing to update and publish Present State of England fell to one of his sons, John (c.1668-1723). In 1704, Mary II’s sister and William III’s cousin, Anne, had been Queen for two years. Here she is in the frontispiece for the twenty-first edition. Her portrait was engraved by eminent English artist, Robert White (1645-1703), and was possibly a reused plate since the volume was published after his death. White was a prolific engraver, producing over 400 images during his career, including a portrait image of Queen Anne’s husband, Prince George of Denmark.
Edward and John Chamberlayne, Angliae Notitia: or the Present State of England. [Twenty-first edition]. London: Printed by T. H. for S. Smith, [and others, 1704. De Beer Eb 1704 C
Travels Thro’ Germany, Bohemia, Swisserland, Holland; and other Parts of Europe
Sometimes books appear to have two frontispieces. Here, in the conventional position of the frontispiece (left), sits a portrait engraving of the author, physician, numismatist, and traveller, Charles Patin (1633-93). The portrait is by Flemish-born engraver, Michael vanderGucht (1660-1725), who spent most of his career working in England. It is unclear whether the second frontispiece on the right, an engraving of an antiquarian scene, and the other images in the book are by vanderGucht as they are unsigned; however, they most probably are.
Charles Patin, Travels Thro’ Germany, Bohemia, Swisserland, Holland; and other Parts of Europe. London: Printed for A. Swall and T. Child, 1696. De Beer Eb 1697 P
Antiquitatum Romanorum, Libri Quatuor
Heinrich Kipping’s Antiquitatum Romanorum contains another example of what might be termed a ‘double frontispiece’. A portrait of German theologian, antiquarian, and author, Kipping (1623-78), sits on the left. A more elaborate frontispiece, on the right, represents the subject of the book: all things Roman. It is full of imagery associated with the Empire: the eagle (Aquila) – for the Roman military; the initials SPQR – for Senatus Populusque Romanus (the Senate and the People of Rome); under the right wing of the eagle sits a fasces – a bundle of rods with a protruding axe head, symbolising the power and jurisdiction of a magistrate; the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and the Circus Maximus; and Romulus and Remus suckling from the she-wolf.
[Heinrich Kipping], Antiquitatum Romanorum, Libri Quatuor. [Leiden]: Apud Petrum Vander Aa, 1713. Shoults Lb 1713 K
Bell’s British Theatre, Consisting of the Most Esteemed English Plays
Despite being bankrupted twice in his career, John Bell (1745-1831) was one of the most successful booksellers of his day. His British Theatre series included tragedies and comedies, often featuring the most popular, contemporary plays. Bell employed the services of engraver, John Hall (1739-97) and his studio, to embellish his publications. Hall executed the engraving for the frontispiece on the right. It is signed. The frontispiece on the left, however, is not signed and could either have been done by Hall or one of his employees; there are plates throughout the text supplied by his studio. On the left, Britannia sits with her shield and spear, a bearded, winged man kneels before her; on the right, a tragic female figure laments the sinking of a ship.
___, Bell’s British Theatre, Consisting of the Most Esteemed English Plays. London: Printed for John Bell, 1776. De Beer Eb 1776 B
Historical Collections: Or, a Brief Account of the Most Remarkable Transactions of the Two Last Parliaments Held and Dissolved at Westminster and Oxford. Second edition
This frontispiece serves as a guide to the reader of this volume. It depicts two scenes: the trial of William Howard, Viscount Stafford (1612-80), who was accused of plotting regicide in the Popish Plot; and his subsequent beheading. Stafford (marked E) was put on trial in November 1680 at Westminster Hall; King Charles II was said to be present (see F – ‘the K’s [King’s] Box’). The trial was said to be ‘a great show’, something that the frontispiece certainly depicts – both Lords and Commoners alike attended. On the evidence of witnesses, Stafford was sentenced to death by beheading in December of the same year.
___, Historical Collections: Or, a Brief Account of the Most Remarkable Transactions of the Two Last Parliaments Held and Dissolved at Westminster and Oxford. Second edition. London: Printed for S.N. and sold by W. Freeman, 1685. De Beer Eb 1685 H
Every Man His Own Gardener. Fifteenth edition
Every Man his Own Gardener was first published in 1767. Over the next 100 years and 21 editions, it would become one of the most important gardening books of the time. The frontispiece for the first edition was drawn and engraved by eminent English engraver, Isaac Taylor (1730-1807). Taylor’s image, or a reworking of it, was used as the frontispiece for the first fifteen editions. However, from the sixteenth edition onwards, the frontispiece was changed, and it depicted the author, John Abercrombie (1726-1807), Scottish gardener and horticulturalist. Thomas Mawe, gardener to the Duke of Leeds, lent his name as author of the book to increase the book’s saleability and was paid £20 for his trouble.
Thomas Mawe and John Abercrombie, Every Man His Own Gardener. Fifteenth edition. London: Printed for B. Law, et al., 1797. De Beer Eb 1797 A
Elements of Physiology
Steel engraving was first developed as a process to print ‘unforgeable’ banknotes in the early 19th century. It also meant artists could achieve finer detail, and steel engraving began to overtake less durable copper plate engravings. The frontispiece to this volume illustrates Dr William Baly’s translation of Johannes Peter Müller’s seminal work on physiology, Handbuch der Physiologie des Menschen. Figures 1 to 6 show the ‘particles from the blood of different animals’ magnified 400 times. The very detailed steel plate was produced by copper and steel engraver Henry Adlard (1799-1883), who worked in London. Professionally he was held in high regard and was often employed as an expert witness in trials of forgery and deception.
J. Müller (Translated by William Baly), Elements of Physiology. London: Printed for Taylor and Walton, 1838. Monro Collection M262
The Mathematical and Philosophical Works of the Right Reverend John Wilkins, Late Lord Bishop of Chester. Fifth edition
Volker Remmert has written: ‘By the middle of the seventeenth century, pictorial representation [in frontispieces] played a significant role in the Copernican debate’ (2006). Indeed, astronomy was a ‘hot topic’ in the 17th century and authors used frontispieces as a way to communicate and legitimise their standpoint on scientific debates. Here, John Wilkins (1614-72), polymath, theologian, and latitudinarian, is stating emphatically, through these images, that he supports and is promoting Copernicus’s ideas on heliocentrism. Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler, all heliocentrists, stand beneath an incomplete, yet decorative model of the solar system.
___, The Mathematical and Philosophical Works of the Right Reverend John Wilkins, Late Lord Bishop of Chester. Fifth edition. London: Printed for J. Nicholson, 1708. De Beer Eb 1708 W
The History and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of Winchester
The desire to show readers an illustration that was much larger than the size of the closed book necessitated the development of the foldout frontispiece. Usually it contained an image pertinent to the content, thus encapsulating in one picture the essence of what the book was about. As an early advertising device, it was also designed to entice the reader into the book; perhaps making it interesting enough to buy. Maps were certainly accommodated in this practice. The date of the first foldout frontispiece is unknown, but Gale’s History contains an early example. The publisher probably commissioned the Flemish-born, but London-based, artist Michael Vandergucht (1660-1725) to engrave this fine image of the Cathedral. The landscape format even allowed space for a fulsome dedication.
Samuel Gale, The History and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of Winchester. London: Printed for E. Curll, 1715. De Beer Eb 1715 G
Poems on Several Subjects
Samuel Wale (1721?-1786) was an English painter, who often worked with the British engraver Charles Grignion the Elder (1721–1810). Both men sought steady employment from booksellers. Perhaps to enliven John Gilbert Cooper’s rather dull title, Poems on Several Occasions (1764), publisher Dodsley asked Wale to concoct the bacchanalian scene that forms this foldout frontispiece. The vignette was certainly typical of Wale’s work. Importantly, the frontispiece has been so termed on the foldout image, and is in the position with which most modern day readers are familiar: on the left.
[John Gilbert Cooper], Poems on Several Subjects. London: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley, 1764. De Beer Eb 1764 C
Stultifera Navis: Qua Omnium Mortalium Narratur Stultitia. The Modern Ship of Fools
John Augustus Atkinson (c.1775–1830) was an artist who could draw scenes from life and then engrave them on to plates for publication, or display. While concentrating on military and naval scenes, he also worked on books about costumes. In a break from the military, but not costumes, he produced this delightful hand-coloured foldout engraving (shades of Thomas Rowlandson) for W.H. Ireland’s early 19th century rendition of the Ship of Fools, based on Sebastian Brant’s famous satire of 1494. Note the jesters with bells herding the ‘Fools’ through the archway. Naval matters were obviously hard to dismiss. Austin, an unknown illustrator, has produced a title-page image that depicts the dysfunctional crew finally on the water.
W. H. Ireland, Stultifera Navis: Qua Omnium Mortalium Narratur Stultitia. The Modern Ship of Fools. London: Printed for William Miller, 1807. De Beer Eb 1807 I
The Description and Use of the Globes and the Orrery. Tenth edition
There is nothing like a little self-promotion, especially if it clinches the sale of an expensive item like an orrery - a mechanical model that represents the circuit of the planets around the sun. Joseph Harris’s Description and Use is described as a ‘puff’ piece that was written for orrery, globe, and instrument manufacturer, Thomas Wright in the mid-18th century. Fundamentally, the book is an instruction manual on how to use your orrery or globe. Fortuitously you can buy one – as depicted in the frontispiece – from Wright’s apprentice and successor, Benjamin Cole (1695-1766). At the rear of the book is a list of items available for purchase at Cole’s ‘Orrery, near the Globe Tavern, in Fleet-street’.
Joseph Harris, The Description and Use of the Globes and the Orrery. Tenth edition. London: Printed for B. Cole, and E. Cushee, 1768. De Beer Eb 1768 H
Poems for Young Ladies: In Three Parts. Devotional, Moral, and Entertaining
William Cowper’s (1731-1800) comic ballad, The History of John Gilpin (1785), became the most ‘popular poem of the decade’. It was aided in its popularity by the energetic reading of it by actor William Henderson at the Freemason’s Tavern in London in 1785. This foldout frontispiece is by engraver David Blakemore Pyet (1759-95), and contains a scene from the poem with accompanying verse. The image serves as both an advertisement and a point of difference – book illustrations were used to distinguish or ‘assert [the publisher’s] editions’ difference from others on the market’ (Sandro Jung, 2015). Publishers worked with designers and engravers to produce a more marketable product.
Selected by Dr Goldsmith, Poems for Young Ladies: In Three Parts. Devotional, Moral, and Entertaining. Perth, Scotland: Printed by R. Morrison Junior, 1792. De Beer Eb 1792 G
The Life and Adventures of Joe Thompson. A Narrative founded on Fact
Although this work purports to be an autobiography of Joe Thompson, it is in fact a ‘novel’ by the journeyman writer Edward Kimber (1719–1769). His work on Thompson was his most popular, going through six editions and eventually translated into French and German. The first London edition of 1750 did not carry a frontispiece. However, this Dublin edition of 1750 does, and it depicts a rather primitive cut of the fictitious Thompson. Perhaps the image is more closely aligned to the Dublin bookseller Robert Main, who commissioned the engraving, or the mysterious engraver himself.
Edward Kimber, The Life and Adventures of Joe Thompson. A Narrative founded on Fact. Dublin: Printed by S. Powell for Robert Main, 1750. De Beer Irb 1750 K
Paradise Lost
This is the first illustrated edition of John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost. Produced in folio format for the first time, and ‘adorn’d with sculptures’, the publisher no doubt wanted to make a ‘splash’ for one of England’s greatest poets. William Faithorne (1616-1691) was a painter who had done portraits of notables such as Oliver Cromwell, Queen Catherine, Cardinal Richelieu, and Thomas Hobbes. Previously used for the History of Britain (1670), his more kindly portrait of Milton (1608-1674) was re-worked by Richard White, a prolific English engraver.
John Milton, Paradise Lost. London: Printed by Miles Flesher for Richard Bently, 1688. De Beer Ec 1688 M
Poems
This 1791 edition of Mary Robinson’s Poems carries a pencil note on the front endpapers, and hints at the fate of many such frontispieces through the actions of a number of print collectors: ‘This book has become very scarce. So many having been broken up for the portrait. The portrait sells for £1. 15/- alone.’ It is a striking soft-toned frontispiece, depicting Robinson’s obvious beauty, despite the fact that when it was painted, about 1783, she had just suffered partial paralysis. The painter was her friend Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), who was at the height of his popularity as a painter, especially of portraits. While Thomas Burke (1749-1815), the Irish-born engraver, worked his own magic on it, it was surely Reynold’s reputation that generated the demand for the image.
Mary Robinson, Poems. London: Printed by J. Bell, 1791. De Beer Eb 1791 R
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
In his Tristam Shandy, Laurence Sterne has the ‘hero’ quote from William Hogarth’s Analysis of Beauty (1753). Obviously delighted with Hogarth’s work, Sterne wrote a letter: ‘I would give both my Ears…for no more than ten Strokes of Howgarth’s witty Chissel, to clap at the front of my next Edition of Shandy.’ In the second edition (1760), Hogarth’s image of Trim reading the sermon appeared as a frontispiece with reference to the text at ‘Vol. 2, page 128.’ In this edition of 1782, the text reference has gone, leaving only the succinct ‘Frontispiece. Vol. I’ at top; no doubt a helpful reminder to the binder. Joseph Collyer (1748–1827) engraved this image; the first was done by Simon François Ravenet (1706- 1764), one of Hogarth’s assistants.
Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. London: Printed for W. Strahan [and others], 1782. De Beer Eb 1782 S
The Whole Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner
The image of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Man Friday on the remote castaway island is an iconic image in literature. John Walter (1738–1812), founder of The Times, purchased a patent for a new method of printing from logotypes (i.e. founts of words or portions of words, instead of letters), and printed this 1785 edition of Robinson Crusoe using this method. The frontispiece he commissioned for it is an important one, because it was the first instance of the elevation of this classic scene to frontispiece status (Blewett, 1986). Drawn by the Boston-born Mather Brown (1761–1831), the image was engraved by Robert Pollard (1755–1838), an English engraver and painter who specialised in naval and sea-battle scenes.
Daniel Defoe, The Whole Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner. London: Printed at the Logographic Press, 1785. De Beer Eb 1785 D
Dramas and Other Poems. Vol. III
Often the first volume of a multi-volume set carried the frontispiece, leaving the others without adornment. Investors in this early 19th century edition of Dramas and Other Poems by Metastasio (Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, 1698–1782), thought otherwise. Each of the three volumes contain a frontispiece evoking a dramatic scene, like this one of Zopyrus striking at Zenobia, while Rhadamistus readies himself to prevent the action. Drawn by Thomas Stothard (1755-1834), a Royal Academy member, and friend of William Blake, the image is apt, especially for Metastasio, who was known to conjure up dramatic situations in his works. This scene was engraved by Anker Smith (1759–1819), a printmaker and miniature painter, who was related to the translator, John Hoole.
Pietro Metastasio, Dramas and Other Poems. Vol. III. London: Printed for Otridge and Son, [and others], , 1800. De Beer Eb 1800 M
Istoria della Città e Costiera di Amalfi
The history of Amalfi, on the southwestern coast of Italy near Naples, dates back to the 6th century. The small seaside town has a strong maritime and trading tradition, especially with Arab nations throughout the Mediterranean. However, local historian Matteo Camera (1820-91) turned a blind eye to these Arabian connections in his 19th century seminal work, Istoria della Città e Costiera di Amalfi. Camera drew all the illustrations, including this landscape-oriented frontispiece. The images were then engraved by Guglielmo Morghen. The man leaning on the stone wall, puffing on his pipe, and looking towards Amalfi stands on what is now the site of the Hotel Santa Caterina.
Matteo Camera, Istoria della Città e Costiera di Amalfi. [Naples]: Dalla Stamperia e Cartiera del Fibreno, 1836. De Beer Itb 1836 C
The Poetical Works of the Rev. George Crabbe. Vol. I
This landscape frontispiece is by engraver Edward Finden (1791-1857), after a drawing by artist Clarkson Stanfield (1793-1857). It depicts the seaside town of Aldeburgh in Suffolk, England, the birthplace of the author, Reverend George Crabbe (1754-1832). Engravers, brothers William and Edward Finden, set up an atelier in London in the early 19th century and they were known for their landscape engravings of coastal Britain and their ‘elaborate finish and precision’ (ODNB). Their engravings for an edition of Byron’s Life and Works helped increase their popularity and they worked with famous, contemporary artist, J.M.W. Turner.
___, The Poetical Works of the Rev. George Crabbe. Vol. I. London: John Murray, 1834. De Beer Eb 1834 C
National History and Views of London and its Environs; Embracing their Antiquities, Modern Improvements, &c… Vol. I
This extensively illustrated volume by science and technology writer and lecturer, Charles Frederick Partington (d. 1857?), contains over 300 steel engravings of the city and its environs. This frontispiece shows a topographical view of London from Waterloo Bridge looking towards Blackfriars Bridge. The tallest building in the picture is St Paul’s Cathedral. The landscape view gives the reader, who may never have visited London, an idea of the immensity of the City.
Edited by C. F. Partington, National History and Views of London and its Environs; Embracing their Antiquities, Modern Improvements, &c… Vol. I. London: Simpkin and Marshall, et al., 1834. De Beer Eb 1834 N
Free Russia. Vol. II
William Hepworth Dixon (1821-79) was a trained lawyer and journalist who travelled extensively and wrote about it. This volume is one of two chronicling his travels in Russia, ‘from the Polar Sea to the Ural Mountains’. It is not clear who provided the artwork for this colourful frontispiece to Dixon’s Free Russia, but the landscape orientation lends itself well to the depiction of the far-reaching Russian steppe. Here Cossacks (Kozaks) and soldiers of Kyrgyzstan (Kirchiz) accompany the infantry.
William Hepworth Dixon, Free Russia. Vol. II. London: Hurst and Blackett, 1870. Special Collections DK189 DL36 1870
The Hunting of the Snark and Other Poems and Verses
As the development of printing technologies advanced, so did the variety of methods used to illustrate books. Colour images became commonplace and cheaper to produce. This 1903 American edition of Lewis Carroll’s Hunting of the Snark (first published in 1876) contains illustrations by celebrated American artist Peter Newell (1862-1924). Newell mainly worked for Harper & Brothers Publishers (think Harper’s Bazaar), but was also well known for his comics, and writing and illustrating children’s books. Newell is in good company with the other famous illustrators of Carroll’s works, John Tenniel (1820-1914) for Alice, and Henry Holiday (1839-1927) for The Hunting of the Snark.
Lewis Carroll, The Hunting of the Snark and Other Poems and Verses. New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1903. Special Collections PR4611 H8 1903
Faust: A Tragedy
Printing from wood engravings is the oldest paper printing technology in the world. After the 16th century, the process was eclipsed by copperplate, and other forms of engraving. Enthusiasm for the art of wood engraving was revitalised in the 18th century, with another dip in popularity at the end of the 19th century due to the advent of photography. Another Renaissance occurred in the early 1900s, when relatively inexpensive prints from wood engravings were considered artworks in themselves. American artist Lynd Ward (1905-85) was famous for his wood engraved wordless graphic novels. This volume contains his work as the frontispiece to a 1930 translation of Goethe’s Faust (first published in 1808).
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust: A Tragedy. New York: Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith, 1930. Special Collections PT2026 F2 R619
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
As a commercial firm, the London-based publishers J. M. Dent looked to technologies such as offset lithography to produce colour prints that would greatly enhance their publications. According to one scholar, Michael Sullivan, the earliest known example of colour printing is a two-colour frontispiece to a Buddhist sutra scroll, dated 1346. Thus, this frontispiece in this trade edition of Lagerlöf’s The Wonderful Adventures of Nils is one in a long tradition. It also carries a common feature in modern-day frontispieces: the printing of a small portion of text with a page number that references the image to where it (the action) occurs in the text.
Selma Lagerlöf, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1950. Special Collections PT9767 N54 A6 1950
Engravings on Wood
This limited edition displays the exceptional talent of E. Mervyn Taylor (1906–1964), one of New Zealand’s best engravers, who was justly recognised by international agencies such as the New York-based Society of Illustrators. If there is one image that captures the essence of Taylor’s fine work it is this frontispiece -‘The Magical Wooden Head’, engraved on boxwood in 1952.
E. Mervyn Taylor, Engravings on Wood. Wellington: Mermaid Press, 1957. Special Collections NE1217 T697
‘Goblin Market’ and Other Poems. Second edition
Here is the title page and frontispiece illustration for Rossetti’s second edition Goblin Market, published in 1865. The double-page spread was illustrated by her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Christina Rossetti, ‘Goblin Market’ and Other Poems. Second edition. London: Macmillan and Co., 1865. Special Collections PR5237 G6 1865
Sketch of the Life and Literary Career of Augustus von Kotzubue; with the Journal of his Tour to Paris, at the Close of the Year 1790
Frontispieces are often portraits of the author of the volume, like this one of German playwright, Augustus von Kotzebue (1761-1819). The engraving of this plate by Englishman, William Holl (1771-1838), has been made using the stipple method. Developed in the 1760s, this method of creating an image on a metal plate involves gouging or pressing in hundreds of individual dots. Holl, a noted portrait engraver, was a pioneer in England of the stipple effect.
Translated from the German by Anne Plumptre, Sketch of the Life and Literary Career of Augustus von Kotzubue; with the Journal of his Tour to Paris, at the Close of the Year 1790. London: Printed by C. Whittingham, 1800. De Beer Eb 1800 K
Anatomy, Physiology, and Hygiene: A Textbook for Nurses
Modern colour printing technologies and processes date from the latter part of the 19th century. This book, part of the Truby King collection, was once held in the Karitane Hospital in Wellington. As it states on the title page, it is a ‘Textbook for Nurses’. This colour plate frontispiece is a striking image of the body’s circulatory system. Arteries are in red, veins are in blue.
A. Millicent Brown and E. Bleazby, Anatomy, Physiology, and Hygiene: A Textbook for Nurses. London: J.M. Dent, 1942. Truby King QS4 AT53 1942
Portugal and Madeira
Dedicated intellectual and art aficionado, Sir Sacheverell Sitwell (1897-1988), used a painting by his friend, Tristram Hillier (1905-83), as the frontispiece to his book, Portugal and Madeira. The younger brother of Edith and Osbert, Sitwell gained permission to reproduce the image, not only from Hillier, but from the painting’s owner, collector and gallery owner, Arthur Jeffress. Built in the 18th century in a style synonymous with Rococo, the painting of the Chapel of the Misercórdia in Viseu, Portugal, would have been reproduced by creating a plate from a photograph of the original.
Sacheverell Sitwell, Portugal and Madeira. London: Batsford, 1954. Brasch DP526 SL47
The Mirror of Perfection
The Mirror of Perfection contains the teachings of St Francis of Assisi (13th century), the writing of which is attributed to his disciple and close companion, Brother Leo. One legend associated with St Francis is the ‘conversion of the wolf of Gubbio’, and it is this legend that informs the frontispiece to this edition. As the story goes, a wolf was terrorising and eating the inhabitants of the Umbrian town of Gubbio. St Francis commanded the wolf, in the name of God, to stop, which he did. In exchange for his compliance, the inhabitants were to feed the wolf every day for the rest of its life, which they did. The engraving for this image is after an unpublished drawing by English artist and set designer, Charles Ricketts (1866-1931).
[Brother Leo], The Mirror of Perfection. London: J.M. Dent, 1903. Brasch BX4700 F67 E5 1903
An Account of the Rise, Progress, and Present State of the Magdalen Hospital, for the Reception of Penitent Prostitutes. 5th edition
In 1758, the first Magdalen Hospital for ‘penitent prostitutes’ was set up in London. It was founded as a ‘humane scheme devised for the relief of those pitiable sufferers; for their rescue from calamities’. Admissions were once a month and women could not be pregnant or have any diseases. Upon entry, their street clothes were taken away and they were issued with a ‘uniform’, including a ‘grey shalloon [woollen] dress’. The woman in this frontispiece is an example of how the ‘inmates’ of the hospital looked. The Hospital was closely associated with the Church, as is intimated by the appearance of the chapel in the background of this image.
[William Dodd], An Account of the Rise, Progress, and Present State of the Magdalen Hospital, for the Reception of Penitent Prostitutes. 5th edition. London: Printed by W. Faden, for the Charity, 1776. Shoults Eb 1776 D
Gulliveriana: Or, A Fourth Volume of Miscellanies
The author of this volume, Irish clergyman Jonathan Smedley (1671-1729), had a long-running ‘beef’ with Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) and Alexander Pope (1688-1744). Smedley’s invective against the pair, Gulliveriana, contains a frontispiece that depicts them in an unfavourable light. This foreshadows their treatment in the text. On the left stands Swift, dressed in his robes of office as a clergyman, a cloven hoof peeking out at the bottom. Pope is on the right, a short man standing on a table, with the pronounced hunchback he had developed after a childhood illness. As part of the ‘joke’, it appears as though ‘Veritas’ (Truth) has designed the image, and ‘Justitia’ (Justice) has engraved it.
[Jonathan Smedley], Gulliveriana: Or, A Fourth Volume of Miscellanies. London: Printed for J. Roberts, 1728. De Beer Eb 1728 S
The Theory of the Earth
Theologian Thomas Burnet’s Theory of the Earth ‘initiated a lively tradition of scientific treatises on the origins of the earth’. First published in Latin in 1681, the frontispiece, here, appeared in the 1684 English translation. The image was included, albeit modified, in all subsequent editions; and as Magruder says is ‘so effective a summary….that his [Burnet’s] views frequently are described simply by reference to this engraving’ (2008). Here we see Jesus Christ standing atop seven globes, clockwise they each represent a stage in Earth’s development. Earth in chaos; Earth as perfect, featureless; Earth in the Great Flood, with the Ark; Earth as we know it; Earth in conflagration; Earth perfect again; and finally Earth has become a star.
[Thomas Burnet], The Theory of the Earth. London: Printed by R. Norton, for Walter Kettilby, 1684. De Beer Ec 1684 B
Oeuvres de M. de Crébillon, de l’Académie Françoise. Vol. I
This classically inspired, rococo style frontispiece gracing French tragedian, Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon’s (1674-1762) Oeuvres, was designed and drawn by artist François Boucher (1703-70). Boucher was ‘First Painter to the King’ – Louis XV (1710-74), and although Boucher was a trained engraver the image for the book was carved by Jacque Phillipe LeBas (1707-83). LeBas also worked within the King’s artistic ‘stable’ – Le Cabinet du Roy – and was one of the most sought after graveurs in mid-17th century Paris. The bust on the plinth in the image depicts the author, Crébillon, and despite the fact he wrote tragedies, the scene surrounding him looks almost idyllic.
___, Oeuvres de M. de Crébillon, de l’Académie Françoise. Vol. I. Paris: De l’Imprimerie Royale, [1750]. De Beer Fb 1750 C
An Exact and Circumstantial History of the Battle of Floddon
The Battle of Flodden, in Northumberland, took place on the 9th of September, 1513. England, ruled by Henry VIII, was invaded by King James IV and his Scottish army. Described as the ‘last great medieval battle in the British Isles’, the weaponry used were generally close combat pieces, like these swords. The frontispiece to this historical verse displays a ‘draught of the sword and dagger of K. James, taken from the originals’. The Scots lost to the English, and King James was killed in battle. There can be no mistake that the engraved image above is a frontispiece. It sits to the left of the title page and it even states that it is!
Robert Lambe, An Exact and Circumstantial History of the Battle of Floddon. Berwick-upon-Tweed: Printed and sold by R. Taylor, et al., 1774. De Beer Eb 1774 F
Notizie Intorno alle Vita e alle Opere de’Pittori, Scultori, e Intagliatori della Citta’ di Bassano
This book is an historical account of the lives and works of artists, sculptors, and engravers from a town near Venice, Italy called Bassano del Grappa. Local historian and author of the book, Giambatisti Verci (1739-95), has chosen a frontispiece that reflects the content of the book. The name of one of the most prominent painters from Bassano, Giacomo da Ponte, features in the engraving. Da Ponte, who became known as Jacopo Bassano (1510-92) was influenced by the likes of Dürer and Raphael; and is known as the ‘first modern landscape painter’.
Giambatista Verci, Notizie Intorno alle Vita e alle Opere de’Pittori, Scultori, e Intagliatori della Citta’ di Bassano. [Venice]: Appresso Giovanni Gatti, 1775. De Beer Itb 1775 V