[Man, directed to front, facing and looking towards left, turban, right hand raised]

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  • Used
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Seller: Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, NY, U.S.A.Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since May 9, 1998

Association member: ABAAILAB

Condition: Used

£ 1,735.62

£ 18.72 shipping 
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Item description from seller

Mezzotint engraving. A striking, life-size study of character and light, from Thomas Frye's renowned series, 'Life-sized Heads,' the most ambitious mezzotint portraits of the eighteenth century. Announced by subscription in London in April 1760 as "Twelve Mezzotinto Prints, from Designs in the Manner of Piazzetta, drawn from Nature and as large as life," the first series was limited to two hundred sets at a price of two guineas. Its success prompted a second series in 1761-1762, described in contemporary notices as six plates of "ladies, very elegantly attired." Issued without sitters' names, the plates were conceived as character studies rather than formal portraits; their dramatic chiaroscuro, close framing, and imposing scale reflect Venetian prototypes. Born in or near Dublin in 1710-11, Frye came to London as a young man and soon painted and engraved early royal likenesses, including Frederick, Prince of Wales. Within a few years he was drawn into the great experiment of English porcelain manufacture. A new manufacturer at Bow ("New Canton") invited him to lead the venture; Frye accepted eagerly and devoted fifteen years to the enterprise, claiming in later notices to be the inventor and first manufacturer of porcelain in England. The undertaking struggled commercially and the factory ultimately failed. The strain of furnaces and administration cost Frye his health. After a recuperative tour in Wales, he returned to London, took a house in Hatton Garden, and resumed painting and printmaking with renewed intensity. It was then that he began the series of life-sized heads. Seeking vivid royal likenesses, he is said to have frequented the playhouse to catch views of George III and Queen Charlotte. The Life-sized Heads themselves, however, were "scraped from imagination" and from studio models (Smith, p. 516). The mezzotints incorporate the fashions and attitudes of the early 1760s. Above all, they show mezzotint at the height of its expressive power, transforming bust-length figures into life-size presences whose faces seem to emerge from, and retreat into, shadow. The treatments of light reveal the possible influence of Joseph Wright of Derby. Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits (London, 1884), 13.…

Seller Inventory # 42472

Bibliographic details

Title
[Man, directed to front, facing and looking towards left, turban, right hand raised]
Author
FRYE, Thomas (1710-1762)
Seller catalogs
Prints & Drawings

Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)

New York, NY, U.S.A.

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since May 9, 1998

Association member:

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Item5 to 14 business days3 to 6 business days
First item£ 18.72£ 29.96
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Store description

Donald A. Heald Rare Books offers the finest examples of antiquarian books and prints in the areas of Botany, Ornithology, Natural History, Americana & Canadiana, Native Americans, Voyages & Travels, Maps & Atlases, Photography and more. Founded in England in 1972, we have formed and contributed to important private and institutional collections. Items of note which we have placed include a unique copy of Abbot’s "Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia" with plates on vellum, an extremely rare extra-illustrated large paper Spanish edition of Blaeu’s "Atlas Mayor," Curtis's "North American Indian," a copy of the Federalist Papers in boards, the first separate printing of the Bill of Rights, and a large paper issue of Redouté's "Les Roses" with the plates in two states. We are renowned for our extensive print inventory which is unsurpassed in quality. Our Sporting collection recently incorporated the complete print stock of Ackermann & Son of London, established in 1783. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, where Mr. Heald has served on the Board of Governors as Treasurer, Security Chairperson, and as Chairman of the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. We are members of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, and the American Historical Print Collectors Society. Mr. Heald is a member of the Grolier Club, and the American Antiquarian Society.…

Specialty

Fine Bindings, Maps and Atlases, Voyages and Travels, Americana, Natural History, Illustrated Books, Historical and Decorative Prints, Colour-plate Books

Association member

  • Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
  • International League of Antiquarian Booksellers
Members of these associations are committed to maintaining the highest standards. They vouch for the authenticity of all items offered for sale. They provide expert and detailed descriptions, disclose all significant defects and/or restorations, provide clear and accurate pricing, and operate with fairness and honesty during the purchase experience.

Seller's business information

Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)

NY, U.S.A.