| Method | Copper engraving with etching |
| Artist | George Vertue |
| Published | [The Oxford Almanack, 1740-41] |
| Dimensions | Image 352 x 436, Plate 356 x 440, Sheet 510 x 655 mm |
| Notes |
The topper of the Oxford Almanack for 1741 showing Worcester College, according to the 18th century design, of which the south-side was never built. Below inside an elaborate cartouche, Charity is shown kneeling before the founder Sir Thomas Cookes and Bishop Lloyd of Worcester. Behind Charity are the figures of Divinity, Law, Physick and the Sciences. To the right, Dr Clarke stands holding a plan of the library, together with benefactors Margaret Alcorne and Sarah Eaton. The calendar of the academic year that would once have appeared below has been trimmed. George Vertue (1684-1756) was an antiquary and engraver. He was born in the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London. Vertue was apprenticed to a silver engraver and later to the Flemish engraver Michael Vandergucht. His early work includes plates after Kneller, whose academy he attended from 1711. Vertue had a deep interest in antiquarian research, and much of his work was devoted to this subject. He also served as the official engraver to the Society of Antiquaries (1717-56). From 1713 onwards, Vertue dedicated his research to the details of the history of British art, which resulted in an extensive collection of notebooks now in the British Library. The contents of which were the basis of Horace Walpole's 1762 'Anecdotes of Painting'. There are approximately five hundred portraits attributed to Vertue, and an equivalent number of published plates which were devoted to antiquarian subjects. Condition: Foxing and discolouration to margins. Small hole to lower left quarter. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £150.00 |
| Stock ID | 45637 |