The Houghton Revisited exhibition currently taking place at Houghton Hall in Norfolk provides the opportunity to see some of Robert Walpole's collection displayed in its original setting for the first time since Walpole's famous collection was sold to Catherine the Great of Russia in 1779. Like several other famous collections, the paintings in the Houghton collection were engraved and published, in an ambitious project organized by the Georgian print world's 'Commercial Maecenas' John Boydell, with the result that even after the paintings had left for Russia, they continued to exert great influence on British artists and connoisseurs in engraved form. Here we show a selection of engravings from paintings in the Walpole collection: This full-length portrait of Robert Walpole hung in his 'blue damask bed chamber', although like several of the prints in this list it is not part of the Houghton exhibition: Sir Robert Walpole, afterwards Earl of Orford.
Napoleon - The Man Who Changed Europe? [Napoleon.] Charlet. 1821. [Ref: 29444] £320.00 2015 marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo – the final undoing of brilliant French general and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821). Our latest catalogue offers an insight into how Napoleon was depicted in print, by both allies and enemies, with portraits , satirical prints , and many more illustrations of Napoleonic scenes , battles and portraits of those closest to the Emperor . [Napoleone Buonaparte. First Consul of France] J.J. Masquerier. [Ref: 16029] £250.00 Above, an interesting and scarce portrait shows Napoleon as a youthful long-haired army commander, probably after his successes in the Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars, which saw his rise to prominence as both a military and political leader. [Portraits of Napoleon as a young and old, with the Imperial Eagle] [Ref: 35944]
A small time line of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte; this is by no means a complete history or the entirety of our Napoleonic stock, just an illustration of some of prints that we have to offer. August 15, 1769: ·Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica. [Birth of Napoleon.] Naissance de Bonaparte [in ms below]. [Anon., c.1810] Etching with hand-colouring, 80 x 80mm (3 x 3"). Trimmed to image and glued to backing sheet. [Ref: 40365 ] May 17, 1779: ·Napoleon begins study at the royal military academy. Enfance de Napoleon. Napoleon naguit à Ajaccio le 15 Août 1769... Lith. de Jobert [after Horace Vernet]. [n.d., c.1825.] Lithograph. Printed area 185 x 200mm (7¼ x 8"). Foxing.Napoleon Bonaparte marshalling a snowball battle at his school. [Ref: 55796 ] June 13, 1793: ·Accused of being too pro-French, Napoleon and his family flee their household in Corsica. [Napoleon