| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | George Vertue |
| Published | Oxford, 1735 |
| Dimensions | Image 356 x 433 mm, Sheet 396 x 436 mm. |
| Notes |
A rare full sheet Oxford Almanack for the year 1735 depicting University College. The college buildings facing the High Street sit behind an illustration of Alfred the Great, the founder, and benefactors in the foreground. Central to the group of figures is King Alfred upon a throne. Kneeling before the king is William of Durham, who restored the college in 1332. The figures to the right are Walter Skirlaw, Bishop of Durham, Sir Simon Bennet, Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and Charles Greenwood. On the left is a bust of Henry IV with an allegorical figure to the side, and Dr. Radcliffe. 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 included 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 the 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 these notebooks 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 devoted to antiquarian subjects. Condition: Wide margins, red one penny stamp to top left corner of sheet. Pressed horizontal centre fold. Light foxing and creases to sheet and image. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £400.00 |
| Stock ID | 48765 |