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Benjamin West: General
Wolfe and the Art of Empire
September 22, 2012 - January 13,
2013
This exhibition is
organized around a remarkable version of a painting that was a phenomenon
in its time, indeed perhaps the most famous in late eighteenth-century Britain:
The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West (1738-1820). West's painting
was created in 1771 at the height of the mania for all things Major-General
James Wolfe (1727-1759) following his stunning triumph over the French at
the Battle of Québec in 1759. This pivotal victory in the French
and Indian War (1754-1763) signaled Britain's ascendency in North America
and Wolfe, who died on the battlefield, immediately became a national hero.
The fervent excitement surrounding his death coincided with the rise of
newspapers and the broad availability of affordable consumer goods; these
were complemented by an official interest in publicly exhibiting British
art and a burgeoning market in prints after well-known paintings. Depictions
of Wolfe's tragic death, particularly Benjamin West's, thus became widely
dispersed in many media and helped to shape a nationalism that celebrated
Great Britain's transition into a cultural, economic, and military power.
Benjamin West: General Wolfe and the Art of Empire examines images
and objects that created a sense of British imperial identity, from representations
of General Wolfe in paintings, prints, and decorative objects marketed to
and consumed by an eager public, to the documentation of Britain's new territories
in maps visualizing its vast colonial realm.
Collected here for the first time are forty-one objects
from institutions in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom,
the majority from two rich collections that stand as American and Canadian
counterparts: the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan
and the Webster Canadiana Collection at the New Brunswick Museum. The exhibition
is complemented by Discovering Eighteenth-Century British America: The
William L. Clements Library Collection, presented concurrently in the
other half of UMMA's A. Alfred Taubman Gallery I.
Carole McNamara
Senior Curator of Western Art
(above: Benjamin West, "The Death of General Wolfe,"
1776, Oil on canvas. William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
Generous support for this exhibition is provided by the
Joseph F. McCrindle Foundation, the University of Michigan Health System,
the University of Michigan Office of the Provost and Office of the Vice
President for Research, the Richard and Rosann Noel Endowment Fund, and
THE MOSAIC FOUNDATION (of R. & P. Heydon).
Wall panel texts from the exhibition
-
- Making History
-
- Benjamin West, a colonial subject raised in Pennsylvania,
trained in Italy, and settled in England, seized the moment of frenzied
admiration of General Wolfe to gain fame, fortune, and immortality by paying
homage to the new national hero in paint. In his rendition of the death
of Wolfe, he pointedly ignored the long-established convention dictating
that figures in history paintings -- even of contemporary subjects -- be
shown in Roman dress, instead portraying Wolfe in his military uniform.
Though West insisted this was because he wanted to depict the "facts
of the transaction," his painting is not a literal account of Wolfe's
death, but a poetic invention that propagates a nationalist interpretation
of a military victory. The composition includes, for example, many persons
who were not present when Wolfe died, but who suggest the ethnic and geographical
breadth of the new British Empire (please see carry card for details).
To heighten the impact of his painting, West borrowed from another tradition
of representation, staging the scene as a Lamentation of Christ. Wolfe,
brightly lit as he reclines on the ground, takes the place of the dead
Christ while the surrounding officers are in the position of the disciples,
their expressions of grief and sorrow cueing the viewer to the appropriate
response to Wolfe's sacrifice. West's dramatic composition imbued the subject
with a symbolism and emotionalism that set it apart from its predecessors
and thrilled his audiences.
-
- Though not factually accurate, the painting nevertheless
successfully crystallized for Great Britain its military prowess and right
of dominion over North America. The Death of General Wolfe became
a national icon and was such a sensation that following its spectacular
public debut at the recently founded Royal Academy, five full-sized versions
of it were commissioned by elite patrons such as King George III (reigned
1760-1820). This version, now in the collection of the William L. Clements
Library, was made in 1776.
-
-
- The Battle of Québec
-
- The struggle between France and Britain for control of
North America came to a head as the French army, accompanied by Native
American allies, made forays into lands that both claimed. The French had
established a fort on Cape Breton Island protecting the entrance to the
Gulf of St. Lawrence, the gateway to the extensive waterways of the interior.
Québec, situated on high cliffs overlooking the river, was the easternmost
city guarding the St. Lawrence river and was essential to hold. In 1759,
William Pitt (1708-1778), the architect of the military campaign, decided
to send James Wolfe, an officer recently made a Major-General, to take
the city. Wolfe arrived at Québec on June 28 and tried without success
to engage the French troops throughout the summer.
-
- Frustrated and increasingly impatient, Wolfe realized
that the advent of winter meant that British vessels must leave or risk
becoming ice-bound and in September he devised a bold plan: his troops
would move upriver to the less well defended western side of the city and,
under cover of darkness, climb the perilous 175-foot cliffs to attack the
French garrison defending it. On the morning of September 13 Wolfe and
seven battalions stood outside the city walls on the Plains of Abraham.
Within little more than an hour, the battle was over. Wolfe, shot through
the wrist, lungs, and abdomen, died shortly after hearing that the French
had been routed, his last words reportedly that he died contented. The
city, which had provisions for only three days, surrendered to the British
on September 17.
-
- Following his death, Wolfe was closely associated with
both poetry and music; on the eve of the battle he is reported to have
sung How Stands the Glass Around with his men as well as recited
to them Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Church-yard.
-
-
-
-
- Wolfemania: Celebrating a Popular Hero
-
- During the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) (the North American
campaign is known as the French and Indian War) the British fought other
European powers in far-off lands such as India, the Caribbean, and New
France (now Québec province) for dominance in the New World. Perhaps
no victory was more important than the Battle of Québec on September
13, 1759, which gave Britain control of the extensive untapped interior
of North America. Major-General James Wolfe was the commander who had devised
a daring night approach to the fortified city on the cliffs overlooking
the St. Lawrence River and led his troops to swift victory before dying
on the field. In the period of heightened patriotism that followed, the
public had a seemingly insatiable appetite for representations of Wolfe's
heroic death. He immediately became a figure of veneration, honored by
his King, his Parliament, his countrymen, and the London press and widely
celebrated in verse, songs, sermons, and the visual arts. A man who appealed
to all segments of the population, Wolfe became the embodiment of the masterful
serving officer -- bold, fearless, and confident -- and his death came
to symbolize the inevitability of global British rule.
-
-
- Visualizing a Hero
-
- Immediately following word of the victory at Québec
and the death of General Wolfe there was strong popular feeling that his
heroism should be commemorated with a memorial in Westminster Abbey, the
traditional resting place of British royalty and important personages.
King George II (reigned 172760) offered to pay for the monument, but
William Pitt (1708-1778), the Secretary of State for the Southern Department,
quickly announced that Parliament would fund the project on behalf of the
British people themselves. The competition brief describing the requirements
for the monument is lost but surviving designs suggest it was expected
to represent the moment of Wolfe's death and conform to the convention
of depicting heroes partially clothed in ancient drapery -- a practice
that Benjamin West would flout.
- West was not the first to depict Wolfe in contemporary
dress in a large-scale history painting. Several years earlier both Edward
Penny (1714-1791) and George Romney (1734-1802) had publically exhibited
paintings of the same subject. Romney's The Death of Wolfe in particular
was severely criticized by academically trained theoreticians who felt
that great events of contemporary history were debased if not given the
grandeur of a Roman setting. The public did not seem to mind; indeed Romney's
painting was an enormous popular success. West was no doubt aware of these
prior works as he contemplated creating a painting meant to challenge critics,
but above all appeal to the public.
-
-
- Disseminating Wolfe
-
- The rising nationalism following the Battle of Québec
created a ready market for images of Wolfe and particularly his death.
His popularity and hold on the public imagination meant that print publishers
and engravers could anticipate selling many engravings done after paintings
by artists like J. S. C. Schaak (active 1760-1770), Edward Penny (1714-1791),
and, of course, Benjamin West that had been exhibited to crowds of eager
spectators in London. The proliferation of such prints made these works
widely accessible to people who were not in a position to acquire expensive
works of art. West -- a pioneer in the new consumer society of eighteenth-century
Britain -- personally oversaw the production of an engraving of The
Death of General Wolfe by William Woollett (1735-1785), the most accomplished
printmaker of the time. The print, one of the biggest commercial successes
in British printmaking, helped make West's painting one of the most widely
recognized images in England and one of the most reproduced works of art.
Woollett's print was also popular in Europe, garnering him 5,000-7,000
pounds in foreign sales, and widely copied by engravers in France and Germany.
The print was so lucrative that it was even pirated in England. Through
prints such as Woollett's, West's painting found its way onto any number
of objects, including seals, ceramics, and fabrics -- a true commodification
of Wolfe that speaks to his enduring popularity.
-
-
- Forging the Empire
-
- While the British public celebrated their newfound status
through paintings and reproductive engravings portraying the victories
of military and naval heroes, the draftsmen and engineers among the corps
of British officers in the field provided essential quantitative and qualitative
data that contributed to the British understanding of its new empire. Officer
training included instruction in draftsmanship and a number of sailors
and soldiers among the officer corps made sketches of the city of Québec
and the surrounding countryside; these were later engraved and sold, thus
allowing the public to visualize the new lands recently put under British
control. The public also came to know "their" new lands through
the production of maps and plans that codified the rapidly expanding empire,
consolidating Britain's gains and ensuring that it would retain control
of its new dominions.
Object labels from the exhibition
- Lock of hair of General James Wolfe
- 1759
- Hair tied with silk ribbon, in gold frame
- John Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection, New Brunswick
Museum, St. John, New Brunswick (W5234)
-
- Among Wolfe's distinctive features was his red hair.
This lock is believed to have been taken from his head by Thomas Bell (died
1755), an aide de camp who attended the return of Wolfe's body from Canada
to Portsmouth, England. Bell had it mounted in this gold locket, presented
to the vicar of St. Alphese's Church in Greenwich, where Wolfe was buried.
This memento of Wolfe's physical life has a literal truth like that of
a religious relic and his popularity and place in the pantheon of British
generals would have made it a prized possession.
-
-
-
- Medal inscribed "Georgivs II" (obverse)/"Perfidia
Eversa MDCCLIX" (reverse)
- 1759
- Bronze
- William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan (P-2725)
-
- Medals were regularly issued to celebrate important victories;
this bronze medal was struck to commemorate 1759, an extraordinary period
of military victories called an annus mirabilis -- a miraculous year --
for the nation and the architect of Britain's military strategy in the
Seven Years' War, William Pitt (1708-1778). The reverse details the victories
won between May and November along with the dates of the battles and the
names of the commanding officers: Guadaloupe, Niagara, Crown Point, Lagos,
Quiberon, and at the top of the medal, Québec. Under Wolfe's name
are those of Robert Monckton (1726-1782) and George Townshend (1724-1807),
his brigadiers who assumed command after he died. At the center is an inverted
French fleur-de-lis surrounded by the inscription "Perfidia Eversa"
-- "treachery overthrown."
-
- On the obverse is a profile portrait of Britain's King
George II (reigned 172760), an image used in other commemorative medals.
Following the custom of Roman coins, it shows the monarch in profile and
wearing a victor's wreath of laurel leaves.
-
-
-
- P. C. Canot, after Hervey Smyth
- England, born France, 1710-1777; England, 1734-1811
- A View of the Landing Place above the Town of Quebec
- 1760
- Hand-colored engraving published by Robert Sayer (England,
1725-1794)
- William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan (P-2748.3)
-
- The broad panoramic vistas in this image show the events
of the battle concurrently, from the landing parties rowing ashore to the
fighting on the high ground. Such engraved views and plans of the battle
site were rapidly produced after the victory for sale to the public. Though
printed in black and white, they were frequently augmented with watercolor
to enhance their dramatic and pictorial qualities.
-
-
-
- The Battle of Québec
-
- The struggle between France and Britain for control of
North America came to a head as the French army, accompanied by Native
American allies, made forays into lands that both claimed. The French had
established a fort on Cape Breton Island protecting the entrance to the
Gulf of St. Lawrence, the gateway to the extensive waterways of the interior.
Québec, situated on high cliffs overlooking the river, was the easternmost
city guarding the St. Lawrence river and was essential to hold. In 1759,
William Pitt (17081778), the architect of the military campaign, decided
to send James Wolfe, an officer recently made a Major-General, to take
the city. Wolfe arrived at Québec on June 28 and tried without success
to engage the French troops throughout the summer.
-
- Frustrated and increasingly impatient, Wolfe realized
that the advent of winter meant that British vessels must leave or risk
becoming ice-bound and in September he devised a bold plan: his troops
would move upriver to the less well defended western side of the city and,
under cover of darkness, climb the perilous 175-foot cliffs to attack the
French garrison defending it. On the morning of September 13 Wolfe and
seven battalions stood outside the city walls on the Plains of Abraham.
Within little more than an hour, the battle was over. Wolfe, shot through
the wrist, lungs, and abdomen, died shortly after hearing that the French
had been routed, his last words reportedly "Then I, thank God, I die
contented." The city, which had provisions for only three days, surrendered
to the British on September 17.
-
-
-
- Bold General Wolfe
- 1760-1800
- Engraved poem published by Catnach Press
- John Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection, New Brunswick
Museum, St. John, New Brunswick (F565)
-
- Following his death Wolfe was celebrated on both sides
of the Atlantic in poetry and songs in which he was frequently portrayed
as a valiant hero. Bold General Wolfe was a popular poem that was
also set to music. The words present Wolfe as an inspiration to his men,
even while mortally wounded. Above the poem is a portrait bust of an idealized
commander in a Greco-Roman helmet and armor. Though meant to evoke Wolfe,
the features are clearly not based on his, as seen in the drawing of Wolfe
from life reproduced nearby.
-
- Such verses were set as ballads and became very popular
in both England and America. In small print under the title is an advertisement
for ballads and penny songbooks, an example of how the memory of Wolfe
and his popularity were employed to further commercial interests.
-
-
-
- On the Death of General Wolfe, as Sung at the Anacreontic
Society by Mr. Sedgwick
- circa 1790
- Engraved music published by Jonathan Fentum (England,
1763-circa 1784)
- John Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection, New Brunswick
Museum, St. John, New Brunswick (W1985)
-
- Shortly after Wolfe's death, the American revolutionary
Thomas Paine (1737-1809), then still in England, wrote an ode that was
set to music by Thomas Smart (died 1826) as The Death of General Wolfe.
The song, which features the gods of Olympus and the figure of Britannia,
was published on both sides of the Atlantic and remained popular in America
despite the growing friction with Britain.
-
- This version of the song was performed at the Anacreontic
Society in London, an association of amateur music enthusiasts that gave
concerts. It was their society's drinking song, the Anacreontic Song, to
which in 1814 Francis Scott Key (1780-1843) set the lyrics that became
the national anthem of the United States.
-
-
-
- General Wolfe: A New Song Engraved for the Pennsylvania Magazine
- March 1775
- Engraved music published by Robert Aitken (United States,
born Scotland, 1734-1802)
- John Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection, New Brunswick
Museum, St. John, New Brunswick (W1985a)
-
- Even while moving towards rupture with Britain, Thomas
Paine's (1737-1809) Death of General Wolfe remained a popular song
in the colonies. In 1774 Paine left England for Philadelphia, where he
became the editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine, which began publication
in January of 1775 and printed his poem as a song soon after.
-
- The publisher, Robert Aitken, was a "respectable
bookseller of that town" who, like Paine, was sympathetic with the
separatists; Aitken became known as the printer for the Continental Congress.
The engraver, James Smither (1741-1797) was of different allegiance. Born
in England, he remained a faithful loyalist; his name was included in a
listing published in June 1778 of men from Pennsylvania who had enlisted
in the British Army.
-
-
-
- Benjamin West
- United States, 1738-1820
- Study for The Death of General Wolfe
- circa 1769
- Pen and ink and oil paint on laid paper
- The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Purchased with
the assistance of a grant from the Government of Canada under the terms
of the Cultural Property Export and Import Act (no. 28524).
-
- Though Benjamin West normally used a fairly loose pen
and ink technique, this preparatory drawing is a carefully executed, fully
realized small-scale version of the painting. There are some differences
from the canvas: the battle itself, for example, is missing, allowing West
to concentrate on the massing and lighting of the central composition,
highlighting Wolfe at the center. As with the final painting, dark areas
draw attention to Wolfe's white shirt and the bandages covering his wounds
and the lightening sky that silhouettes the figures standing to the left.
-
-
-
- Benjamin West
- United States, 1738-1820
- The Death of General Wolfe
- 1776
- Oil on canvas
- Gift of William L. Clements, acquired 1928, William L.
Clements Library, University of Michigan (P-2750)
-
-
-
- Joseph Wilton
- England, 1722-1803
- General James Wolfe
- circa 1760
- Marble
- The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Bequest of the
6th Earl of Rosebery, Dalmeny House, West Lothian, Scotland, 1975 (no.
18376).
-
- When General Wolfe's body was returned to Portsmouth,
England, in mid-November of 1759, the Duke of Richmond (1735-1806) sent
Joseph Wilton to the port to take a likeness of Wolfe's features for use
in a portrait. When the cistern in which Wolfe's body was transported was
opened, Wilton discovered the body was not sufficiently preserved to make
a plaster cast. Instead he modeled a clay head based on a servant who reportedly
bore a resemblance to Wolfe, which was then corrected by Lord Edgcumbe
(1716-1761), who had known Wolfe in life.
-
- Here Wolfe is shown with long hair tied back in the modern
style, looking forward in a pose that suggests action and captures the
essence of a visionary commander. He is dressed, however, as a Roman soldier,
with wolves' heads as epaulets making a visual pun on his name. The success
of this hybrid work helped Wilton win the commission for the monument to
General Wolfe in Westminster Abbey.
-
-
-
- E. W. Thompson
- England, 18th century
- Wolfe's Monument by Wilton in Westminster Abbey
- 1798
- Engraving
- John Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection, New Brunswick
Museum, St. John, New Brunswick (W1927)
-
- This engraving of the memorial at Westminster Abbey indicates
that General Wolfe's popularity extended well beyond the Seven Years' War
(1756-1763) and remained a potent touchstone to the British decades after
the memorial was dedicated.
-
-
-
- Nathaniel Smith, after Louis-François Roubiliac
- England, circa 1741-after 1800; France, active England,
- 1695-1762
- Project for a Monument to General Wolfe
- circa 1760-1771
- Pen and brown ink with grey and brown wash and graphite
on laid paper, mounted on heavy wove paper
- The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Purchased 1954
(no. 6228).
-
-
-
- T. Cook, after Nathaniel Smith
- England, 18th century; England, circa 1741-after 1800
- Model of an Original Design for a Monument to the
Memory of Genl. Wolfe
- 1789
- Etching and engraving published in the Gentleman's
Magazine
- John Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection, New Brunswick
Museum, St. John, New Brunswick (W1926)
-
- Because of the prestige of both the subject and the proposed
location of the memorial, many prominent sculptors submitted designs, including
the French sculptor Louis-François Roubiliac. His proposal, seen
here in a drawing by Nathaniel Smith and an engraving published many years
later, depicts an illusionistic curtain drawn back to reveal the fallen
general supported by a personification of Fame; at their feet a woman who
is both Britannia and Minerva holds a laurel wreath and a lion above a
fallen figure of a Native American man with a map of Québec. Joseph
Wilton's (1722-1803) design shows, in contrast, Wolfe still alive to hear
the glorious news and receive the honors that Fame brings him.
-
-
-
- Anonymous, after Hervey Smyth
- England, 18th century; England, 1734-1811
- Major General James Wolfe
- n.d.
- Engraving
- William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan (P-1640.57)
-
- Early engraved portraits of General Wolfe were not based
on visual records from his lifetime but were fairly generic military types;
eventually a more individualized representation of his features, based
on works supposedly executed from life, became more widely known. Though
this portrait is a generalized view of a military leader, it is still recognizable
as James Wolfe. This profile view is distantly based on a small painting
of Wolfe in command by J. S. C. Schaak (active 1760-1770) exhibited at
the Free Society of Artists in 1762 -- one of the first to appear in a
public venue. Because it was a portrait rather than a history painting,
Schaak's depiction of Wolfe in contemporary dress was not considered improper.
-
-
-
- Anonymous, after Edward Penny
- England, 18th century; England, 1714-1791
- The Death of General Wolfe
- 1779
- Mezzotint
- John Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection, New Brunswick
Museum, St. John, New Brunswick (W1990)
-
- This reproductive mezzotint engraving after Edward Penny's
Death of General Wolfe (adjacent) was published and sold by Robert
Sayer (1725-1794), one of the first fine art printmakers to successfully
exploit the market for Wolfe imagery. In 1772, Sayer worked with Richard
Houston (1721/22-1775), one of the best known engravers in Britain, to
produce a mezzotint that reportedly earned him ?500 in sales. The later
version seen here was commissioned by Sayer from another artist at the
end of the 1770s and is less fine than Houston's.
-
-
-
- Edward Penny
- England, 1714-1791
- The Death of General Wolfe
- 1763
- Oil on canvas
- The Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. Presented
by Edward Penny, the artist, 1787 (WA 1845.38)
-
- Edward Penny's portrayal of the death of Wolfe dates
to around the year 1763, produced perhaps in anticipation of or immediately
following the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which formally ended hostilities
in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). A consequence of the treaty was the
French withdrawal from Canada and the formal acquisition of the province
by the British; this was a moment to proudly invoke Wolfe's accomplishments
at Québec several years earlier. The painting, which rejects classical
dress, was exhibited at the Free Society of Artists.
-
- While Penny's painting is more historically accurate
than West's, it lacks its heroism and epic stature and the mood is less
one of valiant self-sacrifice than melancholy.
-
-
-
- George Romney
- England, 1734-1802
- Study of General Wolfe, for The Death of Wolfe
- circa 1763
- Oil on canvas
- John Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection, New Brunswick
Museum, St. John, New Brunswick (W1842)
-
- Ultimately the depiction of Wolfe's death was favored
over images of him in command. Romney's life-size depiction of the subject
was exhibited at the Society of Arts in 1763, where it was "universally
admired for its sentiment and nature by crouds of spectators." It
was not, however, a critical success. This was because Romney had defied
the conventions of academic history painting, considered the most prestigious
genre of painting, by showing Wolfe in contemporary dress rather classical
drapery. The writer Edward Edwards (1738-1806) reflected the official position
when he wrote, "Romney's was a coat and waistcoat subject, with no
more accuracy of representation that what might be acquired by reading
in the Gazette an account of the death of any General." Romney's painting,
in other words, was mere reportage and lacked the elevated and heroic elements
that would make it a work of great art. Though the painting was initially
awarded a prize, disagreements behind the scenes involving objections to
the prosaic interpretation of the event caused it to be awarded to another
artist.
-
- Romney's painting was purchased and sent the same year
to decorate the Council Chamber in Calcutta and has been subsequently lost;
it is only known by this and one other study of heads. A friend of Romney's
indicated that it was still in London, however, when Benjamin arrived from
Italy and that it may have been seen by him. If West did see Romney's Death
of Wolfe then it had a significant impact on painting in Britain even
though it ended up in India, far removed from British artistic circles.
-
-
-
- P. Somebody, after Benjamin West
- England, 18th century; United States, 1738-1820
- The Death of General Wolfe
- circa 1780
- Engraving
- William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan (P-177.1)
-
-
-
- P. Somebody, after Benjamin West
- England, 18th century; United States, 1738-1820
- The Death of General Wolfe
- circa 1780
- Engraving
- John Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection, New Brunswick
Museum, St. John, New Brunswick (W2009)
-
- The proliferation of prints based on Benjamin West's
painting may be seen in these two pirated images by "P. Somebody."
That the death of Wolfe has been debased through the dissemination of images
of lesser quality than William Woollett's engraving (on view nearby) is
underscored by the inscription that connects it with the "Lovers of
Little things and Cheap-buyers."
-
-
-
- Robert de Launay, after Benjamin West
- France, 1749-1814; United States, 1738-1820
- La Mort du Général Wolf à Québec
- 1776-1800
- Hand-colored engraving
- William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan (P-2748.2)
-
- De Launay was one of the best-known printmakers in France
and came from a family of important engravers. It is possible that the
vigorous print market in Britain drew foreign competitors and this engraving
may have been meant to provide competition to William Woollett's engraving
after Benjamin West's painting (on view nearby).
-
-
-
- William Woollett, after Benjamin West
- England, 1735-1785; United States, 1738-1820
- The Death of General Wolfe
- 1775
- Engraving published 1776 by Wollett, Boydell, and Ryland,
London
- William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan (P-1405.1)
-
- The popularity of Benjamin West's The Death of General
Wolfe meant that an engraving after it would be profitable to everyone
involved with its production. John Boydell (1720-1804), who was trained
as an engraver, worked with West and Woollett, the most accomplished engraver
in London, to produce this landmark print.
-
- West collaborated closely with Woollett, checking the
engraver's proofs to ensure an accurate translation of the painting into
a black and white print. In early 1773 Boydell advertised the production
of the engraving in the press, taking advance orders and expecting to print
1200 impressions. After two events delayed delivery, the print was finally
issued on January 1, 1776. It proved wildly popular -- and profitable --
for Woollett, West, and Boydell. By 1790 an estimated 10,000 impressions
had been pulled. By then Woollett had died and Boydell had total legal
ownership of the plate, which he continued to print.
-
-
-
- Carl Guttenberg, after Benjamin West
- Germany, 1743-1790; United States, 1738-1820
- Der General Wolf
- circa 1789
- Steel engraving
- William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan (P-70)
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- This richly nuanced version of William Woollett's engraving
was drawn by a German printmaker who studied in Nuremberg before moving
to Paris in 1767 to work under the engraver Jean Georges Wille (1715-1808).
Guttenberg had also studied calligraphic engraving in Germany, evident
in the inscription below the image.
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- Luigi Schiavonetti, after Nathaniel Marchant
- Italy, circa 1765-1810; England, 1739-1816
- The Death of General Wolfe
- circa 1790-1800
- Stipple engraving
- William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan (P-1396.7)
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- Schiavonetti's stipple engraving after an intaglio engraved
gem by Nathaniel Marchant shows how even on a small scale Benjamin West's
The Death of General Wolfe could be an impressive work. Marchant
was a well-known English gem carver and a hardstone intaglio carving of
West's painting was commissioned from him by Sir Richard Worsley (1751-1805)
at the end of the eighteenth century for his collection of Renaissance
carved gems. This highly distilled composition combines elements from both
West's and Edward Penny's (1714-1791) depictions of the death of Wolfe
in the figures of the Native American and kneeling soldier; the reclining
figure of Wolfe, however, is derived from James Barry's (1741-1806) Death
of General Wolfe from 1776, which showed him semi-nude and reclining
on the ground.
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