Corbutt Charles (2 results)
Published by London: John Morris, 1777., 1777
Seller: William Reese Company, New York, NY, U.S.A.William Reese Company
Contact seller5-star sellerAn attractive mezzotint portrait of Sir William Howe, executed while he was serving as commander of the British forces in America. Howe is shown in a half-length standing pose, wearing the star and sash of the Order of the Bath. Howe succeeded Gage as commander of the British forces in the colonies during the Revolution, serving… in this capacity from 1775 to 1778. He was quite popular with his troops, and the casual pose struck here communicates a sense of his pleasant demeanor. This print is an ample demonstration of the demand in England at the time for images of British war heroes. Howe had distinguished himself as early as the French and Indian War, and his stature as commander of British forces in North America helped create a market for his image, along with those of other key military leaders. British printers responded by creating several portraits, most of them bearing little resemblance to their subject. These portraits were instead created from a basic visual template. The present portrait of Howe is one such example of this trend, as it bears little resemblance to other contemporary portraits of him, and there is no record of the General having sat for a portrait by a Charles Corbutt. To further complicate matters, "Charles Corbutt" was a pseudonym used by a Dublin-born engraver named Richard Purcell. A fine example of Revolutionary iconography. CRESSWELL, pp.40-41 (ref). ANB 11, p.345. Slight edge wear, minor tape repair in upper corners. Brief biography in pencil on verso. Image quite clean. Very good.
Seller: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., ABAA ILAB, Clark, NJ, U.S.A.The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., ABAA ILAB
Contact seller4-star seller13-1/2" x 10" Mezzotint with text. Voltaire's Smile Purcell, Richard (Corbutt, Charles) [fl. 1746-1766] after L.Sen. Mons.r de Voltaire. [London: Printed for Rob.t Sayer at No.53 Fleet Street. c.1760]. 13-1/2" x 10" (34.3 x 25 cm) mezzotint (measured to plate marks), publisher information trimmed from foot of sheet, mounted to t…hick-peper board. Light soiling and edgewear to margins, faint horizontal crease though center with short tears at ends in margins, very good overall. $250. * A handsome, full-length portrait depicting Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) in profile facing right. Captured with a characteristic, subtle smile, the philosopher is seated at a library desk holding a pen in his right hand. The detailed interior features a towering bookcase, heavy draped curtains, and an arched window looking outward. This specific composition by L. Sen-portraying Voltaire deep in thought amid his library-gained significant popularity during the mid-18th century. Another notable rendering of this exact scene was previously engraved by the prominent printmaker Richard Houston. Better known by his pen name Voltaire, Francois-Marie Arouet (1694-1778) remains one of the foundational figures of the French Enlightenment. Celebrated for his sharp wit and prolific literary output, he was a fierce advocate for civil liberties, including free trade and the freedom of religion. Richard Purcell began his career working with various printsellers in his native Dublin. Around 1755, he migrated to London to join his master, John Brooks, alongside a circle of highly skilled Irish engravers. Unable to establish himself as an independent printmaker, Purcell frequently relied on plagiarizing popular continental and domestic prints for London publishers. He routinely adopted the pseudonym Charles Corbutt for these illicit productions, working primarily for the prolific print entrepreneur Robert Sayer. This print stands as an excellent artifact of the competitive, legally gray printmaking landscape of Georgian London. 13-1/2" x 10" Mezzotint with text (illustrator).
