Original Pair 18th C. European (English) Engravings

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GreedIsGood
Posted by GreedIsGood
16 years ago
AI Appraisal
💬 3 Comments 🗣️ Discuss with Community
Description This visually perfect pair of stipple-point engravings were a gift from Long Island artist, John MacWhinnie, and came from the personal estate of his mother, well-known Southampton antiques dealer, Inez MacWhinnie. They hung on a wall in Mrs. MacWhinnie's mansion, and were never a part of her store stock. She purchased them through Sotheby's, what she called her "...favorite little place to shop. The engravings are truly exquisite, in fine condition, with no visible damage of any kind. The framing is excellent, as well, with both of these also in excellent condition. You cannot see this in the photos, but the frames are quite strong and sturdy, each having warm, redwood painted edges that are a solid 2 inches thick. The craquelure on their rich, gold-faced fronts adds immeasurably to their beauty (anything that might look like a stain or broad, discolored marking is merely reflection cast from the flash.) Each watercolor painted engraving is after one of the popular "Months" paintings from the series done by British artist, William Hamilton. The watercolor paints are still bright and lively, with the more delicate colors- such as the yellows- showing little, if any, fading at all. If you study the engravings, you can clearly see which was done by Master and which by pupil, although both are still well beyond anything I have seen in this series before. (The modern re-strike engravings that are said to be after Hamilton, and are attributed to Bartolozzi, Tomkins, and others, do not even begin to touch on the genuine beauty found in this original pair.) The first stipple-point engraving is marked "Original Francesco Bartolozzi- 'July,' on laid paper, after William Hamilton; circa 1780s." The other reads "Original Peltro William Tompkins, as student to F. Bartolozzi- 'June,' on laid paper over brittle-board, after William Hamilton; circa 1790s." I am willing to let them go as they are far too English for my Modern/Surrealist decor. But do please note, as they've managed to remain a pair all these many long years, I will only sell them as such now.
Category Fine Art
Medium Stipple-Point Engravings
Distinguishing marks Francesco Bartolozzi (1727- 1815) & Peltro William Tomkins (1760- 1840) after W. Hamilton (1751- 1801)
Condition Excellent
Size and dimensions of this item 12" x 9" each, in 15" x 12" frames
Date Period 1780s and 1790s
Weight N/A
History Received from artist, John MacWhinnie, who inherited them from the estate of Inez MacWhinnie- originally purchased from Sotheby's, in late 1930s.
eBay Auction Link
Price Paid (If known) Unknown
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I apologize for not being able to respond to your question when you originally posted it. I have been ill and had to be away for a while. As for the engravings and your question, if you have an interest in buying, I am open to reasonable offers. If your interest is in their actual value, they were professionally appraised for between $1600- $1800 for the pair, but this was back in 2008. These are a cut above the usual engravings you may find by these artists on many of the common auction sites (like eBay). The quality really is as good as it gets.

 Dear MizzTree and or GreedisGood, 

Your description of the provenance of this item(s) is egregiously overstated. Not certain from whom you received your "facts", but I could make a guess. Of note: my late grandmother, Inez MacWhinnie, never lived in a Southampton "mansion", nor did she ever refer to Sotheby's as her "favorite little place to shop". A writer must always fact check and consider the integrity of the information source. Perhaps, then, the item description would sound less like a contrived item description in a J. Peterman catalog!

Regards,

Namesake Mac Mac
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