A Concert of Birds: P.14992-R

Current Location: In storage

Titles

A Concert of Birds
Houghton Gallery

Maker(s)

Printmaker: Earlom, Richard
Publisher: Boydell, John
Painter: Nuzzi, Mario (After)

Entities

Description

After the painting which was previously attributed to Mario Nuzzi (Mario 'di Fiori') (1603-1673), but which has since been reattributed to Frans Snyders (1579-1657), (c. 1630-40; The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg [as 'Bird's Concert'] ], acquired in 1779 from the Robert Walpole collection at Houghton Hall, ??-607). A collection of exotic and domestic birds (including peacocks, hoopoes, a swan, a vulture and humorously, a bat) perched haphazardly upon two bare branches, each with its beak open as if singing. An owl, at centre left has an open music book at its feet. Mountains and a coastal town are seen in the background to the right.

Notes

History note: The '2' written in the margin of this print relates to a handwritten Museum register of loose Kerrich prints where this print is listed as no. 2 in the Kerrich 'Portfolio marked Py'. An encircled 'K' in the FM annotated Nagler refers to this Kerrich print.

Legal notes

Bequeathed by the Rev. R. E. Kerrich 1872 (received 1873)

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1873) by Kerrich, Richard Edward

Dating

18th Century#
Production date: 1778-12-01 AD 1778

Note

Mezzotint with etching and stipple, printed in black ink. As published. Lettered with artists' names below the image at lower left: 'Mario di Fiori pinxit' and right: 'Rich.d Earlom sculpsit'. Publisher's name and date below image at centre: 'John Boydell excudit 1778'. Title engraved in closed roman letters either side of the arms of the Earl of Orford: 'A CONCERT OF BIRDS' / In the Breakfast Room at Houghton / Size of the Picture 4f, 7i by 7f, 9 1/4i long ... Published Dec.r 1st 1778 by John Boydell Engraver in Cheapside London.'. Inscribed (curatorial hand) in graphite in the right margin: '361' and lower left margin: '2 II' and just above the platemark at lower right: 'Kerrich'. Inscribed on the verso, oversized script (curatorial hand) in graphite: '361'. An impression of the first state before title is in the second of the two Boydell Houghton volumes bequeathed in 1816 by Lord Fitzwilliam; 'A Set of Prints Engraved after the Most Capital Paintings in the Collection of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress of Russia, Lately in the Possession of the Earl of Orford at Houghton in Norfolk, Volume 2'. See, 31.K.8-4. The British Museum has proof impressions of the first state before title (1838,0420.203) and of the etched plate prior to mezzotint (1842,0806.211).

School or Style

British

Techniques used in production

Mezzotint
Stipple
Etching

Identification numbers

Accession number: P.14992-R
Primary reference Number: 240039
Wessely (Earlom): 139
Nagler (Künstler-Lexicon): 4.36 (p.53)
Lugt: L.1568
Chaloner Smith: undescribed
Stable URI