STEEL ENGRAVING - “THE FIVE ORDERS OF PERIWIGS” from the original by William Hogarth, published in the mid 1800’s.  This engraving is in very good condition. The actual engraving measures 6 3/4” x 5 1/4”, and is matted to 11" x 14" for easy framing.  The following is a description from “The Complete Works of William Hogarth”.   I will include a copy of this with the engraving.                       

             Previous to this print being published, Mr. Stuart, generally denominated Athenian Stuart, advertised that he intended to publish, by subscription, a book entitled The Antiquities of Athens, measured and delineated by himself and Nicholas Revitt, painters and architects. The first volume of this excellent work was published in 1762; it received, and we may add it deserved, approbation from every man who had taste enough to relish those stupendous monuments of ancient art. To leave a trace behind was the object of Stuart’s book; but Hogarth had so long accustomed himself to laugh at the grand gusto of the Grecian school, that he at length though any plan which might damp the public ardour for antiquity would be a correction of national taste. With this view he published the print now under consideration; and if ridicule were a test of truth, it must have affected his purpose. Minute accuracy is the leading feature of Stuart’s book; - minute accuracy is the leading point in Hogart’s satire.

The various orders of periwigs were supposed the have been worn at the coronation of George III.

The first he describes is the episcopal or parsonic, alluding to the Tuscan order, as being to the most simple and solid having but few ornaments, and being the most massive. These were such as were worn by the bishops.

            The second is the old peerian or aldermanic, corresponding to the Doric, which consists of rather more ornaments than the Tuscan, whose frieze is divided by triglyphs and metopes. These were worn by the Alderman of the city of London, two of whose little-meaning faces are exhibited to view. That remarkable five-tailed periwig on the right was worn by his lordship the Mayor, two of the tails of which hung down in half-curls before, the other three behind.

         The Lexonic is the third, answering to that of the Ionic - a kind of mean proportional between the solid and delicate manner, adorned with volutes or spiral curls. These were such as were chiefly worn by the gentlemen of the law.

        The next two, on the right, are of the fourth, called Queerinthian, or queue-de-renard, (that is, fox-tail), agreeably to the Corinthian, the richest and most delicate, adorned with fillets, and a number of volutes. These in front, resemble the ears of the fox, or the wings of a pigeon, and were tied behind with great bunches of riband. They were worn by the major part of the nobility.

The other two are of the fifth and last order, called the Composite, or half-natural, correspondent to the Composite, or Roman, so called, because composed by the people of Rome out of the Corinthian and Ionic orders, as this is out of the Queerinthian and Lexonic, decorated with volutes. This was worn by some of the nobility, as of higher and nobler institution.

The scale by which the measurement is made is of Athenian measure, and proportioned to a block, as we see on the left of this plate.   It is thus divided in nodules, nasos, and minutes; every nodule being three nasos, each naso three minutes. As each of the capitals or periwigs are ruled, the curious examiner may easily prove their exactness by the application of a pair of dividers. If it should be asked, why this exactness? - the answer is obvious. As the degree of understanding is thought by some to be proportioned to the size of the wig, too great a niceness could not be observed.

The bottom part of this print represents the head of six ladies, from the lowest to the highest, according to the rank of precedence, the minor walking first; the faces of the whole were extremely well known. They were introduced here to show the various ways of dressing the female head. The Triglyph membretta, or drop-curl, was preserved throughout the whole, as conforming to some established order, the preservation of the uniformity of which partakes of the follies, as well as the dignities, of the nation.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

Antique prints, etchings, engravings, and lithographs are printing processes, which use steel, copper, stone or wood blocks or plates to produce a picture on paper.

Most antique prints and engravings, which are seen on the internet today, are bookplates.  Because they are pages from a book, there are multiple copies in existence.  This does not, however, mean that they are "reproductions" that have been printed recently.  Because they were, at some point, part of books, some have been preserved in excellent condition, while others show signs of age, as yellow spots or darkness on the edge of the page from being handled.

Engravings, lithographs are high quality pieces of art, as it took a highly trained artist many hours of work to produce one.  Although there may be multiple copies still in existence, the date of the item should be stated in the auction, thus giving the buyer an idea of its age.

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