Set of 8 Antique Hand-Tinted Engravings of Theatrical Characters 19th C

This is an interesting set of eight Hand-Tinted Engravings of Theatrical Characters, dating from the early 19th century.

They feature actors in different plays, with hand tinted and metallic foil appliqués. They are framed in decorative moulded birds-eye maple frames with gilt slips.

The set includes the following prints:

Plate I: Mr Anderson as Macbeth
Plate II: Mr R Honner as Jack Sheppard and Mr Hall as Jonathan Wild
Plate III: Mr Campbell as William in Black Eye Susan
Plate IV: Madam Verstris as Pandora
Plate V: Mr Osbaldiston as Phoebus Captain of Kings Archers
Plate VI: Mr Kean as Richard III
Plate VII:  Mr acklin in the caracter of St Gilbert Wrangle in The Refusal
Plate VIII: Mr c Pitt as Will Watch

Condition:

In excellent condition. As antique items, the pieces show signs of use commensurate with age, these minor condition issues are mentioned for accuracy and, as seen in the accompanying photographs, they display beautifully.

Angelica Kauffman, RA (1741 - 1807)

was a Swiss-born Austrian Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Though born as "Kauffmann", Kauffman is the preferred spelling of her name in English; it is the form she herself used most in signing her correspondence, documents and paintings.

While Kauffman produced many types of art, she identified herself primarily as a history painter, an unusual designation for a woman artist in the 18th century. History painting, was considered the most elite and lucrative category in academic painting during this time period. Under the direction of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Royal Academy made a strong effort to promote history painting to a native audience who were more interested in commissioning and buying portraits and landscapes.

Despite the popularity that Kauffman enjoyed in British society and her success as an artist, she was disappointed by the relative apathy that the British had towards history painting. Ultimately she left Britain for the continent, where history painting was better established, held in higher esteem and patronized.

The works of Angelica Kauffman have retained their reputation. By 1911, rooms decorated with her work were still to be seen in various quarters. At Hampton Court was a portrait of the duchess of Brunswick; in the National Portrait Gallery, a self-portrait. There were other pictures by her at Paris, at Dresden, in the Hermitage at St Petersburg, in the Alte Pinakothek atMunich, in Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn (Estonia).

Satinwood

is a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indian or Ceylon satinwood is the yellowish or dark-brown heartwood of Chloroxylon swietenia.

The lustrous, fine-grained, usually figured wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, veneers, and backs of brushes. West Indian satinwood, sometimes called yellow wood, is considered superior. It is the golden yellow, lustrous, even-grained wood found in the Florida Keys and the West Indies.

It has long been valued for furniture. It is also used for musical instruments, veneers, and other purposes. Satinwood is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Rutaceae.