Figures & Portraits · 18th century
€ 320
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Good antique condition with age-related toning and scattered foxing mainly in the margins. The engraved image remains crisp with strong linework and visible plate mark.
Antique Shakespeare Engraving Measure for Measure Act I Scene I Boydell 1797
This late 18th-century copperplate engraving illustrates a scene from William Shakespeare’s play Measure for Measure. The print depicts Act I, Scene I, showing the characters Elbow, Clown, and Froth in a theatrical moment typical of the moral and comic tension that defines the play.
The composition presents the figures standing within an architectural setting suggestive of a city gateway or courtyard. The characters wear historical stage costume reflecting the theatrical conventions of Shakespearean productions during the late eighteenth century. The expressive gestures of the figures emphasize the dramatic dialogue between them, capturing the mixture of humor and social satire characteristic of Measure for Measure.
The design for this image was painted by Robert Smirke, R.A. (1752–1845), one of the most important British historical painters and illustrators of the Georgian period. Smirke was particularly admired for his literary subjects and created a number of paintings for the famous Boydell Shakespeare Gallery.
The plate was engraved by William Leney (1769–1831), an accomplished English engraver known for translating painted compositions into finely detailed copperplate prints. His careful cross-hatching and tonal shading give the figures depth and clarity while preserving the theatrical character of Smirke’s original design.
This engraving was published September 15, 1795 by John and Josiah Boydell at the Shakespeare Gallery, Pall Mall, and at No. 90 Cheapside, London. The Boydell Shakespeare Gallery project was one of the most ambitious artistic publishing ventures of the late eighteenth century, commissioning leading painters and engravers to produce illustrations of Shakespeare’s plays. These prints played a major role in shaping the visual imagination of Shakespearean drama during the Georgian era.
Today Boydell Shakespeare engravings are widely collected for their combination of literary significance, historical importance, and refined Georgian engraving. They appeal to collectors of Shakespeareana, theatre history, and eighteenth-century book illustration.
Condition: Good antique condition with age-related toning and scattered foxing mainly in the margins. The engraved image remains crisp with strong linework and visible plate mark.
Framing tips: This print displays beautifully in a dark walnut or ebonized frame with a wide museum-white or warm ivory mat. Its theatrical subject makes it particularly suitable for display in libraries, studies, or interiors inspired by literary and historical themes.
Technique: Copperplate engraving
Maker: William Leney after Robert Smirke, England, 1797
