Antique original print (from 1794) from John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery, a rare and highly prized print of a scene from one of William Shakespeare's plays. This was published in 1852 (the original book was published in 1805 with the printed created in 1794). Please read the fascinating history of these prints below.This particular print is from The Taming of the Shrew, Scene II by R. SmirkeCondition: picture clear, border foxedBorn in 1719, the English land surveyor turned engraver John Boydell began his artistic career publishing his own prints. Eventually he began to publish the works of others, and by 1767 he devoted himself entirely to publishing and selling engravings of other artists.At the time, most of the prints for sale in England were imported from France and other Continental countries. And French publishers, being French, would rarely extend credit or exchange prints with the English dealers, demanding instead to be paid in cash up front. Boydell seized this opportunity and began commissioning English engravers to create plates of English paintings. The resulting works were the first English prints ever to be in demand in Europe.

Art (paintings, prints, frames)
Figures & Portraits