Jan Kip – Hampton – A Rare Early 18th Century English Copper Engravings of Grand English Estates 1708
Birdseye Maple Frame
66 x 74cm
Johannes “Jan” Kip (1652/53, Amsterdam – 1722, Westminster) was a Dutch draftsman, engraver and print dealer. Together with Leonard Knyff, he made a speciality of engraved views of English country houses.
Kip was a pupil of Bastiaen Stopendaal (1636–1707), from 1668 to 1670, before setting up on his own; his earliest dated engravings are from 1672. In April 1680, at the age of 27, he married Elisabeth Breda in Amsterdam. After producing works for the court of William of Orange in Amsterdam, Kip followed William and Mary to London and settled in St. John Street in Farringdon, where he conducted a thriving printselling business. He also worked for various London publishers producing engravings after such artists as Francis Barlow (c. 1626–1704) and Caius Gabriel Cibber (1630–1700), largely for book illustrations. He made several engraved plates for Awnsham & John Churchill’s A Collection of Voyages & Travels (first published 1704). He signed the African scenes in volume V of the 1732 edition as “J. Kip”.
His most important works were the large fold-out folio illustrations for Britannia Illustrata, 1708; for the 65 folio plates he engraved for the antiquary Sir Robert Atkyns, The Ancient and Present State of Glostershire, 1712 (1st edition); and for Le Nouveau Théâtre de la Grande Bretagne ou description exacte des palais de la Reine, et des Maisons les plus considerables des des Seigneurs & des Gentilshommes de la Grande Bretagne, 1715, an extended reprint in collaboration with other artists.
The Donkey – Ster Sweepstakes’ Engraving by Charles Hunt 1852
Painted by J.A.Fitzgerald, published London 1852
Years ago I bought this mid 19th Century English lithograph. It has sat around in my stores and found again recently.
The donkey race at the local county fair. I wonder if they’re chimney sweepers? One of my younger contempories stated, ‘He saw this in my shop window display recently, he continued to state the engraving was ‘Racist’?’ Sometimes I simply don’t understand our younger generation?
Anyway, I love this style of engraving. I removed the daggy frame, as I feel it looks much better with no interference.
