Virgin and Child, Valentine Green Engraving, Boydell Publishing

George Farington was a student at the Royal Academy and studied with Benjamin West (1738 – 1820). George maintained a diary from 1793 chronicling the important arts of the period and won many awards for his historical renderings. Valentine Green became an engraver after leaving his first profession as solicitor. He became a line engraver in Worcester and migrated to London in 1765 to work as a mezzotint engraver. Without an aid of an instructor he arrived at a perfection that has seldom been equaled, becoming one of Britain’s top engravers. He became a member of the Incorporated Society of Artists, and was elected as one of the six associate engravers for the Royal Academy. In 1789 the Duke of Bavaria gave him the exclusive right of engraving and publishing plates from the paintings in the Düsseldorf Gallery. Although he produced four hundred plates over a forty-year career, due to the failing of his speculations he declared bankruptcy in 1805. To maintain an income Valentine accepted the role of the keeper of the British institution, a post he held until his death in 1813.

The Virgin And Child engraving was published by the eminent English publisher, John Boydell (1719 – 1804), in Cheapside London, June 1, 1782. This engraving has a vellum covering and measures, 12.50 inches H X 09.75 inches W, with an image size of, 10.25 inches H X 08.00 inches W. Please click here to learn more about the history of The Houghton Gallery Series collection. And don’t forget to check out the Related Product links below to view more mezzotint engravings from John Boydell’s Houghton Gallery series.