| Method | Stipple engraving |
| Artist | Jean Pierre Simon after Richard Westall |
| Published | Published March 25. 1797, by J.&J. Boydell, & G. Nicol, Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall; & No. 90, Cheapside. |
| Dimensions | Image 219 x 154 mm, Sheet 379 x 274 mm |
| Notes |
An illustration of Stanzas 23 and 24 of Milton's Hymn to the Nativity, from John and Josiah Boydell's The Poetical Works of John Milton (1794-1797). The infant Christ, carrying the olive sprig of peace and basking in Heaven's radiance, banishes the various gods of paganism. Anubis, dog-headed, falls over a sacrificial bull in his haste to escape, whilst the horned avatar of Moloch cringes behind him. The dark clouds of the pagan altar are likewise swept away by the heavenly firmament at Christ's feet. The publication of Boydell's Milton followed the success of his Shakespeare Gallery, and included 28 plates by Richard Westall after works by Henry Fuseli. Fuseli, one of the Shakespeare Gallery's key contributors, had been inspired by Boydell's success, subsequently painting 40 large-scale scenes from Paradise Lost that he intended to form the core of his own 'Milton Gallery'. Richard Westall RA (2nd January 1765 - 4th December 1836) was a British painter, illustrator, printmaker, and drawing master, best known for his portraits of Lord Byron, and his work as a painter for John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery, and Henry Fuseli's failed Milton Gallery. Jean Pierre Simon (c.1750 - c.1810) was an Anglo-French stipple engraver. Ex Col.: Hon. Christopher Lennox-Boyd, collector's mark on verso |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £100.00 |
| Stock ID | 36229 |