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Brun Travested, Le
London: Pubd.… at R. Ackermann's Repository of Arts, 1800. Item #06222
Hand Colored Etched Title and Nineteen Hand-Colored Etched “Caricatures of the Passions”
[ROWLANDSON, Thomas, and WOODWARD, George Moutard, illustrators]. Le Brun Travested. Or Caricatures of the Passions. Design’d by G.M. Woodward. and Etch’d by T. Rowlandson. London: Pubd.…at R. Ackermann's Repository of Arts, 21 Jany. 1800.
Large quarto (11 5/8 x 9 3/8 inches; 296 x 238 mm.). No text as issued. Etched title in sepia, and ninteen hand-colored etched plates by Thomas Rowlandson after G.M. Woodward.
Near contemporary buff paper wrappers, front wrapper with rectangular pink paper label lettered in black. Neat early ink presentation at top of title "Emma Handley. given to her by her Aunt Louise". Plate no. 7 a little trimmed at blank margins (11 1/8 x 8 9/16 inches; 284 x 217 mm.), not affecting imprint. Plate no. 12 “Sadness” watermarked "Russell 1799". Housed in a brown buckram clamshell case, spine with brown morocco label lettered in gilt. An excellent example, excessively rare.
The “Passions” are: “Attention”; “Admiration”; “Admiration with Astonishment”; “Veneration”; "Rapture”; “Desire”; “Joy with Tranquility”; “Laughter”; “Acute Pain”; “Simple Bodily Pain”; “Sadness”; “Weeping”; “Compassion”; “Scorn”; "Horror"; “Terrour or Fright”; “Anger”; “Hatred or Jealousy” and “Despair.”
George Moutard Woodward (1765-1809), “caricaturist, son of William Woodward of Stanton Hall, Derbyshire, was born in that county about 1760. He received no artistic training, but, having much original talent, came to London, with an allowance from his father, and became a prolific and popular designer of social caricatures, much in the style of Bunbury, which were etched chiefly by Rowlandson and Isaac Cruikshank. Although their humour was generally of a very coarse and extravagant kind, they display a singular wealth of imagination and insight into character, and some are extremely entertaining. Among the best are ‘Effects of Flattery,’ ‘Effects of Hope,’ ‘Club of Quidnuncs,’ ‘Everybody in Town,’ ‘Everybody out of Town,’ and ‘Specimens of Domestic Phrensy.’ Woodward…was of dissipated and intemperate habits, spending much of his time in taverns, and died in a state of penury at the Brown Bear public-house in Bow Street, Covent Garden, in November 1809” (D.N.B).
The title "Le Brun Travested" most likely refers to Charles Le Brun (1619-1690) who was a French painter and art theorist. Louis XIV declared Le Brun to be "the greatest French artist of all time". He was a dominant figure in seventeenth century French art and was much influenced by Nicolas Poussin.
Grolier Club, Rowlandson, 56; William A. Gordon, BC-44; BM Satires 9628-9632, plates 6, 7, 12, 15 & 20 only.
Price: $13,500.00