- Museum number
- 1902,1011.4431
- Title
- Object: Madam Elizabeth Brownlowe
- Description
-
Portrait as a child seated whole-length to left in garden, her head turned to face front, her right hand on cockatoo, perched on edge of ornate vase containing orange tree; draped in rich fabric, her hair short and tightly curled; poppy at r; proof before letters. 1685
Mezzotint
- Production date
- 1685
- Dimensions
-
Height: 340 millimetres
-
Width: 245 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Text from Antony Griffiths, 'The Print in Stuart Britain', BM 1998 cat.165)
In order to build up enough capital to secure his independence, Smith had to work during the 1680s for other publishers. Among them was Alexander Browne, for whom he made seven plates. Three were after old master paintings, and two each were after Largillierre and Wissing. This is one of the Wissing portraits; the other is of Lady Brownlowe, Elizabeth's mother, also published in 1685. In their lettered states both have Browne's name as publisher and refer to his privilege granted in 1684.
Browne had a close relationship with the Brownlowe family of Belton. A few years earlier he had published a mezzotint by Beckett of this same girl, after a painting by Soest. An album from the library at Belton, now in the National Portrait Gallery, contains a virtually complete collection of Browne's publications, which he had clearly supplied to the family.
The publication of these two portraits of the family led to a clash between Browne and Cooper, who had established a link with Wissing. Most lettered impressions of this print have Browne's address crossed out in ink and Cooper's substituted. This is an extraordinary occurrence that cannot be paralleled in mezzotint publishing. Cooper must have used Wissing's authority to override Browne's relationship with the family, and claim the rights to the print for himself.
In the bottom right corner, in light brown ink, is 'J.Smith fe. 1685'. This is in Smith's handwriting, and is characteristic of the dates that he often put on his prints whenever he sold complete collections of his work to customers. One such collection survives in the New York Public Library, arranged in chronological order, in which almost every print is annotated by Smith with the date of the plate and occasionally with a comment on the sitter.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
1996 Apr-Jun, Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, Landmarks in Print Collecting
1996 Jul-Sep, LA, Huntington Library and AG, Landmarks in Print Collecting
1996, Oct-Dec, Baltimore, Museum of Arts, Landmarks in Print Collecting
1997 Jan-Apr, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Landmarks in Print Collecting
2003/4 Sep-Jan, Tarragona, Sala Tarragona, Masters of Printmaking from BM
2004 Feb-April, Palma, Fundacio 'la Caixa', Masters of Printmaking from BM
2004 April-July, Lleida, Fundacio 'la Caixa', Masters of Printmaking from BM
- Acquisition date
- 1902
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1902,1011.4431