1789 Org Engr. By William R. Birch -Mrs. Cosway,Who Had Affair With T. Jefferson

Description: This is a rare original famous hand colored engraving from 1789 by noted engraver and enamel painter William Russell Birch. This is called “ A View from Mr. Cosways Breakfast Room Pall Mall with the portrait of Mrs. Cosway”. Pall Mall is a street in London. This is from the Schomberg house. William Russell Birch (9 April 1755 – 7 August 1834) was an English miniature painter, enameler, and landscape engraver and designer. Birch was born in Warwickshire, the son of Anne, née Russell, and physician Thomas Birch. He spent his early childhood in Warwick and was apprenticed to a jeweler, Thomas Jeffreys, and to Sir Joshua Reynolds. The enamelist Henry Spicer trained Birch in the art of enamel painting. Birch exhibited enamel portraits at the Royal Academy from 1781 to 1794. In 1785, he received a medal from the Royal Society of Arts. As an engraver he is best known in England for his Délices de la Grande Bretagne, consisting of thirty-six plates of ancient buildings in Norwich and elsewhere, published in 1791. After emigrating to Philadelphia in 1794 he made portrait enamels of many people including copies of portraits of George Washington, by Gilbert Stuart. The engraving series he made in 1800 of Philadelphia vistas was so extremely popular it resulted in three additional editions. William Birch was the father of Thomas Birch, an American portrait and marine painter. Typescript copies of his autobiography are held by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. He died in Philadelphia, aged 79. Here is a little history on the subject. Maria Cosway trained as an artist in Italy where she met other English artists and collectors such as Joseph Wright of Derby and Charles Townley. In 1779 she came to England with her mother who hoped to launch her as the next Angelica Kaufman. In 1781 she married the painter Richard Cosway. ( they later became estranged). Despite his disapproval , she kept making portraits and history paintings and exhibited at the royal academy. In 1786 the two visited Paris , where Maria had an affair with Thomas Jefferson. She later returned and copy old master paintings and met Napoleons uncle. Under his patronage she set up a girls school in Lyon, later opening another at Lodi. Condition: Really good condition. See pictures. Nothing that stands out. Size: Engraving 10 1/4 by 9 inches Actual Picture of Mrs. Cosway 5 by 3 1/2 Matte 14 by 11 This is an original not a copy. This same engraving is in many museums and collections. Google the print. There are many sites that sell copies of this engraving. My wife and I have been collecting for over 40 years. This was bought in Philadelphia when we lived there from someone that collected engravings. My wife and I thought we would open a store some day when we retired. Now that we are retired we have no interest in a store so we are selling slowly on eBay. This would be a great in a collection or on the wall. The matte is acid free. Any questions please ask. Thank you for your interest.

Price: 750 USD

Location: Waban, Massachusetts

End Time: 2024-12-26T15:05:43.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD