1799 · London
by NORTHCOTE, James engraved by Charles TURNER
London: Published by James Daniell & Co. No. 6 Charlotte Street Blackfriars Road, 1799. Mezzotint, printed in colour and finished by hand. With the engraved inscription: J. Northcote R. A. pinx**C. Turner fculp.t (printed along a leaf within image) / TIGER & CROCODILE (printed at bottom of image) / London Published Dec. 7. 1799 by James Daniell & Co. No. 6 Charlotte Street Blackfriars Road (bottom right corner of image). Text in closed upright letters. An absolutely stunning colour impression of this dramatic print after Northcote.
George Stubbs' impact on the history and development of English art cannot be realized until we examine the manner in which his sublime paintings influenced and inspired an entire generation of artists. One of the foremost English artists inspired by Stubbs' dramatic work was the celebrated painter James Northcote. His stirring images of wild animals have their roots in Stubbs' seminal paintings; they express the same wild natural beauty and the same sense of artistic order that distinguishes Stubbs' works. Northcote's animals are regal, they are larger than life, they are nature and art combined, and they inspire the viewer with their breathtaking sense of drama and their pure beauty of form. Northcote began painting animals during the 1790's after he had established himself as one of the foremost artists in England. The son of a Plymouth watchmaker, he was trained by Sir Joshua Reynolds. After traveling through Europe, Northcote was elected to the Imperial Academy in Florence, the Academy dei Forti in Rome and the Ancient Etruscan Academy in Cortona. Upon returning to England he became a Royal Academician, a privilege he enjoyed for the duration of his career. Under Reynolds' tuition he became an accomplished portrait painter, but he also produced many fine historical paintings as well as scenes from Shakespeare for Boydell's Gallery. Northcote also penned Reynolds' memoirs, which remains one of the most valuable historical accounts of Reynold's life. Northcote was acutely aware of the importance of engravings in establishing an artist's reputation. It was for this reason that he employed some of the foremost English engravers to reproduce his paintings for publication. Eminent engravers such as Richard Earlom, John Murphy, and Samuel William Reynolds were employed to translate Northcote's dramatic images into print. This sublime image was mezzotinted by the famous English engraver Charles Turner, who captures Northcote's sense of drama and form and translates it into the rich textures and contrasts of mezzotint.
Alfred Whitman, Nineteenth Century Mezzotinters: CharlesTurner (1907), 802. Not in Le Blanc. (Inventory #: 41440)
George Stubbs' impact on the history and development of English art cannot be realized until we examine the manner in which his sublime paintings influenced and inspired an entire generation of artists. One of the foremost English artists inspired by Stubbs' dramatic work was the celebrated painter James Northcote. His stirring images of wild animals have their roots in Stubbs' seminal paintings; they express the same wild natural beauty and the same sense of artistic order that distinguishes Stubbs' works. Northcote's animals are regal, they are larger than life, they are nature and art combined, and they inspire the viewer with their breathtaking sense of drama and their pure beauty of form. Northcote began painting animals during the 1790's after he had established himself as one of the foremost artists in England. The son of a Plymouth watchmaker, he was trained by Sir Joshua Reynolds. After traveling through Europe, Northcote was elected to the Imperial Academy in Florence, the Academy dei Forti in Rome and the Ancient Etruscan Academy in Cortona. Upon returning to England he became a Royal Academician, a privilege he enjoyed for the duration of his career. Under Reynolds' tuition he became an accomplished portrait painter, but he also produced many fine historical paintings as well as scenes from Shakespeare for Boydell's Gallery. Northcote also penned Reynolds' memoirs, which remains one of the most valuable historical accounts of Reynold's life. Northcote was acutely aware of the importance of engravings in establishing an artist's reputation. It was for this reason that he employed some of the foremost English engravers to reproduce his paintings for publication. Eminent engravers such as Richard Earlom, John Murphy, and Samuel William Reynolds were employed to translate Northcote's dramatic images into print. This sublime image was mezzotinted by the famous English engraver Charles Turner, who captures Northcote's sense of drama and form and translates it into the rich textures and contrasts of mezzotint.
Alfred Whitman, Nineteenth Century Mezzotinters: CharlesTurner (1907), 802. Not in Le Blanc. (Inventory #: 41440)
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