From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Hours (engraving)
The Hours (engraving)
Coloured impression of the stipple engraving by Francesco Bar- A larger view of the center area of The Hours by Francesco Bar-
tolozzi, mounted in an acid-free environment and placed be- tolozzi, showing the detail in the transparent gowns and wings.
hind conservation (or UV-protective) glass to prevent fauxing.
Responsive to the cuckoo’s note,
The untaught harmony of spring:
While, whisp’ring pleasure as they fly,
Cool Zephyrs thro’ the clear blue sky
Their gathered fragrance fling."
Maria Cosway sent a copy of the engraving to Jacques-
Louis David (1748-1825), a highly influential French
painter, who stated, "on ne peut pas faire une poesie plus
ingenieuse et plus naturelle." ("One couldn’t make poet-
ry more ingenious and more natural.")
The Stippling Technique
The stippling technique involved the etching, usually on
A closer view of The Hours by Francesco Bartolozzi. This en-
a copper plate, of stipple dots to form an image. The
graving is in very good condition, showing only three small
process was tedious; many thousands of these dots were
spots of fauxing: two to the left of the title and one above the
cherubs. required to form an image of this quality. After the cop-
per plate was etched, it was then used to make a number
The Hours is a stipple engraving by a master of the tech- of prints by the usual intaglio method. The number de-
nique, Francesco Bartolozzi (1725-1815), published on pended upon how well the plate held up during the print-
April 4, 1788, from the print shop of Thomas Macklin, ing process, which abraded the plate slightly with each
at No. 30 Fleet Street, London. The print is based upon use. The earlier prints, therefore, were of better quality
a painting by Maria Cosway (1760-1838). The dancing than the later ones. At some point the plate became so
hours, or nymphs of Greek mythology, were a pictorial abraded that it was no longer usable.
representation of the poem "Ode on the Spring" by Bri- The printing and coloring (hand washing) of each en-
tish poet Thomas Gray (1716-1771). The poem begins: graving was difficult, and required the hand of an artist.
For that reason, many of these old original prints were
"Lo! where the rosy-bosomed Hours, inked by the master himself.
Fair Venus’ train, appear, Stippling is used to excellent effect in representing
Disclose the long-expecting flowers, transparent materials in the filmy gowns and gossamer
And wake the purple year! wings of the nymphs.
The Attic warbler pours her throat,
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Hours (engraving)
The Credits
Details from "The Hours"
On the righthand side under the engraving: "F. Bartolozzi R.A.
De- De-
De- De-
& Engraver to his Majesty sculpt". Francesco was a member of
tail tail
tail tail
London’s Royal Academy ("R.A."), and was the Royal Engraver
show-
show-
show- show-
to the king. Sculpt was an abbreviation of the Latin, sculpsit,
ing ing
ing ing
which meant "he engraved"
the one
the the
del- of
gos-trans-
i- paren-
samerthe
ca-cy
wings cu-
oncyof pids
of above
the the
the the
hours’
nymph. On the lefthand side under the engraving: "Maria Cosway
gowns.
hours.
nymphs’ pinxt". Pinxt was an abbreviation of the Latin, pinxit, which
hands. meant "she painted"
Publication Information
The Title
The main title of this work of art: The Hour. On the bottom center of the engraving is the date of publica-
tion: April 4, 1788.
First subtitle of The Hours: "No. 1 of the British Poets", refer- On the bottom center of the engraving (continued from the
ring to Thomas Gray. above) is the place of publication: The Thomas Macklin print
shop at No. 30 Fleet Street, London.
References
• "Jacques-Louis David’s Anglophilia on the Eve of the
Second subtitle of The Hours: "Vide Gray’s Ode to Spring", re- French Revolution", by Philippe Bordes, in The
ferring to Thomas Gray’s "Ode on the Spring". "Vide" is Latin Burlington Magazine, 1992. The article reproduced the
for "see". engraving of "The Hours" on page 485.
• The full text of "Ode on the Spring" may be found at
the Thomas Gray Archive.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Hours_(engraving)&oldid=349677141"
Categories:
• 1788 works
• Engravings
This page was last modified on 13 March 2010 at 20:57. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
2