The Angling Party and the Boar Hunt

Two 18th Century French Hand-Coloured Engravings

c1760

after Pillement

image size 568 x 420mm (22.5 x 16.5 inches)

Jean Baptiste Pillement (1728-1808) was a painter and designer. He was one of the most influential exponents of the rococo style and best known for his exquisite landscapes. He worked in Paris, Lisbon, London, Vienna, Warsaw and St Petersburg, becoming a friend to David Garrick the actor in London, who became a collector of his works. He assisted in the decoration of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, and also carried out decorative works for Marie Antoinette at the Petit Trianon.

image size 568 x 420mm (22.5 x 16.5 inches)

The engravers are William Woollett (1735-1785)  "the first English engraver to achieve an international reputation...." and William Elliott.

Among the engravings carried out by Woollett was his rendering of Richard Wilson's 'The Destruction of the Children of Niobe' : 'Much of the interest in the painting lies in its dramatic representation of the landscape. Woollett's work on the plate is superb and was widely admired in his own time; he is a major figure in the history of engraving.' (Ronald Russell  Guide to British Topographical Prints. 1979.) He was 'wont to celebrate the completion of a plate by firing a cannon from the roof of his house'.

William Elliott (1727-1766) 'produced some good landscape engravings, remarkable for their taste and his free and graceful handling of the point.' (Dictionary of National Biography)

£260 the pair.