JOSEPH MALLORD WILLIAM TURNER R.A.
London 1775 – 1851 Chelsea, London
Turner conceived his great print project, the Liber Studiorum (‘Book of Studies’ – though it was not published as a book and
did not have text, other than the lettering on the plates)
in 1807 as a demonstration of his prowess in pastoral, marine, mountainous,
architectural and historical landscape painting, and in emulation of Claude’s
Liber Veritatis (the record of the artist’s oeuvre in wash drawings, which
when brought to England by the Duke of Devonshire had been engraved as
a series of two hundred mezzotints by Richard Earlom in the 1770’s).
Turner proposed a series of 100 plates, for which he produced preparatory
brown watercolour wash drawings, to be published in Parts, as the work
progressed. The first Part was issued in 1807.
Turner etched the outline design onto the plates and employed a professional
engraver to complete the plates in mezzotint. His relationships with his various
engravers proved difficult and for several of the later plates he chose, or was
obliged, to engrave the entire plate himself.
Lack of financial success led him to abandon the project twenty years later,
having issued seventy-one subjects.
In the published state the plates were generally titled in the lower plate border
and had a single or double capital letter in the top border categorizing the type
of landscape it represented.
This impression offered here (and another in the catalogue, The Alcove, Isleworth)
are both from the collection of Thomas Pegram.
Pegram retired at the early age of forty to the Wirral and within a few years,
c1910, began to collect prints seriously. He would be a loyal supporter of Griggs,
not only buying Griggs’ own etchings (Cross Hands was dedicated to Pegram)
but in the financial difficulties of the 1930’s, bought from Griggs’ personal collection.
Griggs called him “so much our good angel”. In 1933 he bought Griggs’ complete set
of Turner’s Liber Studiorum.
Aesacus and Hesperie
Finberg 66 i/iv
208 x 290 mm
Original etching and mezzotint, 1818.
The entire plate completely engraved by
Turner himself. The extremely rare first published state, with the face of
Hesperie uncovered and turned towards Aesacus, and with the rays of light
introduced from the upper left through the trees. With letters but before the
additional marks in the margin.
Published by Turner 1 Jan, 1819.
Printed in brown ink on cream laid paper.
A rich impression, time toned through
the window opening of Pegram’s former mount.
Sold
Ex collection John Pye (Lugt 2056)
John Pye (1872-1874) was an engraver, publisher and author of 'Notes ... [on]
the Liber Studiorum of J M W Turner'. He assembled a select collection of prints
after Turner which was acquired by the British Museum in 1869.
His proofs of Turner's 'Liber Studiorum' followed in 1870.
Ex collection British Museum, acquired from Pye in 1870 (Lugt 302)
Sold by the British Museum as a duplicate (Lugt 305, initialled in ink by
Campbell Dodgson, the Keeper 1912-32)
Ex collection Thomas Pegram, and thence by descent.
The story of Aesacus & Hesperie comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Turner chose to depict the beginning of the tale, with Aesacus, illegitimate
son of King Priam of Troy, first encountering and falling in love with
Hesperie, daughter of the river-god Cebron.
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