O  You  Roast  Beef  of  Old  England

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). O the Roast Beef of Old England, &. The Gate of Calais. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Designed by W.^m Hogarth / Engraved by T. Cook / Published by G. G. & J. Robinson, Pater-noster Row, Dec.^r 1.^st 1797., otherwise as above. 39.1 x 46.8 cm.

Thematically belonging to Hogarth’s 2-sheet suite France & England of 1756. – Of finest chiaroscuro on strong paper. – The slight lateral foxing at the reverse perceptible a little on the subject side in the white upper margin upper right only. – Cook “made a name for himself as Hogarth engraver, too, whose complete work he has engraved in copy” (Thieme-Becker) and whose original format he maintained contrary to all later Hogarth editions in his first, earlier edition. For some sheets not published by Hogarth himself Cook became their first engraver, just as he also gained approval of a contemporary connoisseur as Maximilian Speck von Sternburg.

“ The scenery of the representation is the space between the inner and outer gates of the town’s fortifications, with the perspective into a street of this, however … Laterally of the gate the artist has depicted his arrest (as pretended spy) …

“ The true center of the composition is ‘John Bull’s elevated panacee’, a colossal roast beef that has just been landed from England, addressed for Madame Grandsire, and is carried by her cook to the place of its destination … (He) nearly collapses under the load, a Capuchin in highest delight looks at and blesses the (roasting) … ”

(Lichtenberg).
Offer no. 7,547 / EUR  343. / Export price EUR  326. (c. US$ 526.) + shipping

– – – The same in Hogarth’s own etching jointly worked with Charles Mosley (c. 1720 – c. 1770). Inscribed: Painted by W.. Hogarth / Engrav’d by C.. Mosley & W.. Hogarth. / Publish’d according to Act of Parliament. March 6..^th 1749., otherwise as above. 38.4 x 45.6 cm.

Nagler, Hogarth, 32 and, Mosley, 4, reckoning it among his better works. – Illustration Hogarth Catalog Zurich, 1983, 65. – Wide-margined impression from the plate reworked by the royal engraver James Heath (1757 London 1834) about 1822 (“Even these impressions became relatively rare today though”, Art Gallery Esslingen 1970; and Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4^th ed., VIII [1888], 625: “A fine edition”).
Offer no. 7,744 / EUR  164. (c. US$ 265.) + shipping

– – – The same in Cook’s popular later, smaller version. Inscribed: Gates of Calais. / Hogarth pinx.^t / T. Cook sculp. / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees & Orme, Jan.^y 1^st. 1807. Subject 14 x 17 cm. – Trimmed within the wide white platemark.
Offer no. 8,943 / EUR  50. (c. US$ 81.) + shipping

– – – The same in engraving by Carl Heinrich Rahl (Hoffenheim 1779 – Vienna 1843). (1818/23.) Inscribed: 46. 22 x 28.9 cm.
Offer no. 7,745 / EUR  84. (c. US$ 136.) + shipping

– – – The same in engraving by Ernst Ludwig Riepenhausen (1765 Göttingen 1840, university engraver there). Inscribed: 46 / W. Hogarth inv. pinx. 19 x 29 cm. – Early, toned impression. – Riepenhausen’s engravings after Hogarth (“very estimable”, Nagler) belong to his chief work and not least for their side-correctness they are partly even preferred to Hogarth’s own engravings.
Offer no. 7,746 / EUR  125. (c. US$ 202.) + shipping

– – – The same by Riepenhausen as before, but on slightly toned minor paper.19.2 x 29.4 cm.
Offer no. 9,515 / EUR  95. (c. US$ 153.) + shipping

– – – The same by Riepenhausen as before, but in jet-black luminous impression from supposedly about 1850 from the plate somewhat shortened in the white lateral white margins. 19.2 x 29.4 cm.
Offer no. 9,514 / EUR  95. (c. US$ 153.) + shipping

– – – The same in lithography by C. C. Böhme. (1833/36.) Inscribed: 46. / Das Thor von Calais oder der englische Rinderbraten. / C. C. Böhme lithograph. 23.3 x 22.8 cm. – Extensive subtext à la Lichtenberg in German. – Lower right in the text and white lateral margin somewhat stained, otherwise splendid impression of shining chiaroscuro.
Offer no. 7,747 / EUR  125. (c. US$ 202.) + shipping

– – – The same in steel engraving about 1840. Inscribed: Das Thor von Calais. 13.2 x 15.2 cm.
Offer no. 7,748 / EUR  40. (c. US$ 65.) + shipping

Der hiesige Weihnachts-/Neujahrsgruß 2005 endete mit „In diesem Sinne recht schöne Weihnachtstage voll Harmonie und sammlungszugewandter Muße … “ , letzterer Wunsch in einer Grußerwiederung aufgegriffen wurde mit den Worten

„ das Gutwort des Jahres – sammlungszugewandte Muße – wunderbar, hab einigen LBA/Goethefreunden dieses Gutwort genannt. Sie haben in einer verwahrlosten Zeit ein ‚linguistisches Gespür’! “

(Herr R. K., 5. Januar 2006)