Tancred in Tancred and Sigismunda, Georgian Stage Costume, Jefferys, 1757
€ 395
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1757
Mapmaker / artist
Published by Thomas Jefferys
Publisher
Thomas Jefferys, London
Technique
Copper Engraving
Coloring
Hand colored
Sheet size
32 × 25 cm (12.6 × 9.8 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14276-233
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; minor nicks along the left edge. Light, uneven toning, lightly soiled along the bottom, left, right and top edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin.
About this sheet
This is an original antique copper engraving from 1757, colored by hand, lettered "Habit of Tancred, in the Tragedy of Tancred & Sigismunda." Tancred stands with a long spear planted at the viewer's left and his other hand on his hip. He wears a black fur cap with a red bag and gold tassel hanging to one side, a scarlet jacket crossed with rows of white frogging, and close fitting scarlet breeches buttoned down the side. A short cape lined in pale yellow and edged with fur hangs from one shoulder, a saber with a steel hilt is slung from a black belt, and he wears short dark boots with fur tops.
The English title is engraved in script below the image: "Habit of Tancred, in the Tragedy of Tancred & Sigismunda." Beneath it, in smaller italic letters, is the French caption "Tancrede, dans la Tragédie de même nom, et Sigismonde.", meaning "Tancred, in the tragedy of the same name, and Sigismunda". The plate number 233 is engraved at lower right. No engraver or artist is named on the plate.
The plate comes from the second volume of Thomas Jefferys' A Collection of the Dresses of Different Nations, Antient and Modern, published in London in 1757 by Jefferys, Geographer to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in the Strand. The work has a parallel French title page, Recueil des Habillements de Différentes Nations, which is why each plate is captioned in both languages. The later plates of the volume form a series titled The Habits of the Principal Characters on the English Stage, recording how leading parts were dressed in the London theaters of the period. Tancred and Sigismunda, James Thomson's tragedy, was first acted at Drury Lane in 1745. The fur cap and frogged jacket resemble hussar dress.
The scarlet figure with its long spear makes a strong vertical composition that frames well on its own.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
