26 
House & Garden 
The Coke Family, a mezzotint by 
Paul van Somer, after the paint¬ 
ing by J. Htiysman. Van Somer 
was born in Amsterdam in 1649 
and worked in England during the 
latter part of the nth Century. 
This print is the first attempt of 
any engraver in mezzotint to rep¬ 
resent a large group composition 
MASTERPIECES IN MEZZOTINT 
The Story of a Fascinating \Sth Century Art That Flourished Through the V^th 
and Still Attracts Master-Engravers of the 20th 
GARDNER TEALL' 
D uring the last quarter of the 18th Cen¬ 
tury there developed among the en¬ 
gravers of Great Britain an art which at once 
seized the cultivated fancy of the day and 
which received such remarkable appreciation 
that it has not only left for our delectation the 
masterpieces of the period of its heyday, but a 
heritage of inspiration as well that has never 
permitted it to become relegated in esteem or 
its practice lost—^the art of the mezzotint. 
Print-lovers, no matter in what broad fields 
of collecting their hobbies may chance to 
browse, are in agreement as to the charm of 
the mezzotint. Sir Joshua Reynolds was of 
the opinion that of the various styles of engrav¬ 
ing, mezzotinting is the best calculated to 
express a painter-like feeling, especially in the 
case of portraits. I do not think anyone since 
Sir Joshua’s time has risen to dispute the as¬ 
sertion. While the mezzotinters of early days 
and those contemporary with us did not pro¬ 
duce mezzotint engravings that can be likened 
to photographic transcripts of paintings in all 
the nakedness which the microscopic avidity 
of the camera rejoices in, still there can be no 
gainsaying the painter-like quality to which 
Sir Joshua alluded, and no one could have 
been more competent to judge than this great 
master, a painter jealously guarding the in¬ 
tegrity of art and holding unqualified con- 
Portrait of Mrs. T. C. Phillips, after the painting by “Flower and Fruit”, a celebrated 
J. Highmore. Engraved in mezzotint by John mezzotint by Richard Earlom, after 
Faber. Jr.. 1748 the painting by J. Van Huysam 
“The Siren”, engraved with some use of mezzotint 
by W. E. Tucker for Godey’s lady’s Book from the 
painting by T. G. Middleton 
