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One of the glories of English graphic art in the eighteenth century are the mezzotint prints that eloquently reproduce the smooth tonal gradations of paintings. Some of the most arresting of these mezzotints are those that replicate the magical illumination effects of the painter Joseph Wright of Derby. Earlom’s An Iron Forge is the among the most evocative of these, and this impression is particularly fine. An early stage of the print before the title was added below the image, it conveys all the subtle nuances of light and shadow that make these prints so seductive.
An Iron Forge
1772–1773
Medium/Technique
Mezzotint
Dimensions
Sheet: 47.9 x 59.7 cm (18 7/8 x 23 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Katherine E. Bullard Fund in memory of Francis Bullard
Accession Number2013.1814
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope, Prints and Drawings
ClassificationsPrints
One of the glories of English graphic art in the eighteenth century are the mezzotint prints that eloquently reproduce the smooth tonal gradations of paintings. Some of the most arresting of these mezzotints are those that replicate the magical illumination effects of the painter Joseph Wright of Derby. Earlom’s An Iron Forge is the among the most evocative of these, and this impression is particularly fine. An early stage of the print before the title was added below the image, it conveys all the subtle nuances of light and shadow that make these prints so seductive.
Catalogue Raisonné
Chaloner Smith 48, i (before title)
InscriptionsWith inscriptions on blocks and tablet in plate at l.r.: Jo Wright Pinx 1772/ Rd. Earlom Sc./ J Boydell Excudit/ Publish'd Jany 1, 1773
Provenance1904, in a collection in Great Britain. Robson and Co., Ltd. (dealer), London. Lord Brabourne (probably Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne), Broadlands, Hampshire, England. 2013, sold by a London print dealer to Hill-Stone Inc., New York; 2013, sold by Hill-Stone Inc. to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 18, 2013)