STEEL ENGRAVING - From the original painting by John Both in the National Gallery in London, England. As described in Pictures of the Great Masters, 1840.  Engraved by W. Radclyffe.  Measurements page size 10 5/8"x 8", engraving 4 3/4"x 6 5/8", matted to 12"x 9" for easy framing.

JOHN BOTH

LANDSCAPE AND FIGURES - MORNING

       John Both was born at Utrecht, in 1610, and was the disciple of Abraham Bloemart, who at the same time instructed Andrew, his brother, but, to perfect themselves in design, they went to Rome, and resided there a great many years.  The genius of John directed him to landscape, in which he rose almost to the highest perfection, making the style of Claude Lorraine his model; and, by many, his works are even mentioned in competition with those of that great master. The warmth of his skies, the judicious and regular receding of the objects, and the sweetness of his distances, afford the eye a degree of pleasure, superior to what we feel on viewing the works of almost any other artist. John and Andrew had different talents, and each were admirable in their way. If the former excelled in landscape, the latter inserted the figures, which he designed in the manner of Bamboccio; and those figures were so well adapted, that very picture seemed only the work of one master. The work of these brothers, therefore, are justly admired through all Europe, are universally sought for, and purchased at large price.

     Descamps says, that John painted landscapes, and Andrew figures, in the manner of Bambaccio; and yet, in a following paragraph, he asserts that Andrew   was drowned in a canal at Venice, and that John returned to Utrecht; in which account he appears to follow Sandrart, though other writers agree that it was the landscape painter who was drowned. Houbrachen mentions a picture of John Both, which is six feet high, and esteemed his master-piece: the figures are large and the story represented in that of Mercury and Argus. The two brothers mutually assisted each other, till the unfortunate death of John, in 1650, when Andrew left Italy, and settled at his native place, where he painted portraits and landscapes in the manner of his brother, and conservation with players at cards, in the style of Bombaccio. Both these masters had extraordinary readiness of hand, and a free, light, sweet pencil; and that they were expeditious, is evident from the number of pictures which they finished. Andrew during the remainder of his life, had as much employment as he could execute; but he was so affected by the melancholy death his brother, that he survived him only a few years; dying in 1656. Not withstanding the authority of Houbraken, some writers choose to follow Descamps, in saying that Andrew perished in Italy in 1645, and John returned to Utrecht, where he practiced his art, and employed Polembourg in painting the figures.

     The picture of  “Landscape and Figures”, represented a road, winding among rocks and broken ground upon the borders of a lake. In that part of it which is nearest the eye of the spectator, are seen a peasant driving before him has loaded horse, a woman riding on an ass, and a muleteer with his two loaded mules; and in more distant part of the road, on the right, is another man, seated on an ass. A mountain torrent, issuing from a cleft between to large rocks, forms a fine fore-ground on this side; the rocks, and the tree which grows from among them, rising to the top of the canvass. Upon an eminence in the middle-ground, on the left, is seen a small village, and beyond the lake, the horizon is bounded by distant mountains.

     This landscape is exceedingly picturesque in its arrangement, the masses of light and shadow are well managed, and the picture altogether produces a very agreeable effect; having in it a more just proportion of cool tint than the immoderate fondness of Both for warm sunshiny hues generally permitted him to introduce into his pictures.

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, ect. 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 it's age. 

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