Why do so many listings say 18th century with no year?

Only 236 of 840 listings carry a clean year, so most dating here is done by period label rather than by date. Titles reading "18th Century" or "19th Century" are best read as a bracket. The dated field runs 1700 to 1960. The 18th century is the largest single label, followed by the 19th, with a further group given only as "1800s".

What does after mean in an engraving title?

It means the print reproduces a design by the named artist, who didn't cut the plate. Reynolds, Hogarth, Kauffman, Morland, Claude Lorrain, Rubens and Raphael all recur as source names. About a fifth of titles use it, and those prints make up a much larger share of the top of the range, especially where the engraver is named too.

Are engravings usually sold singly or in sets?

Both, but multiples are close to the norm. "Pair" appears in 101 titles, "four" in 56 and "six" in 26. The largest group recorded in a single sampled title is a set of twenty-seven Regency hand-tinted prints. Sets and long panoramic sheets hold the top of the range.

Which subjects come up most often?

Portraits of titled sitters, largely as mezzotints. Hand-coloured natural history: birds, fish, insects, monkeys, serpents, shells and skulls. And large architectural plates, with 26 titles mentioning Athens and 24 "antiquities". Cries of London is the most repeated single subject in the samples, turning up in five separate listings in different editions and set sizes.

Do wood engravings appear under this heading?

Yes. Wood engraving is cut into the end-grain of a block and printed in relief, so it isn't intaglio, but it's catalogued here all the same. A tight 1930s group accounts for most of them, seventeen titles referring to wood engravings from a single 1935 book, Four Hedges, each a mounted individual leaf. They sit at the bottom of the range.

What unusual forms turn up in this category?

Reverse engravings on glass, prints under verre eglomise and hand-coloured optical prints all appear once or twice and nowhere else. So does a run of anatomical plates, skulls, skeletons and a rhinoceros skeleton among them. An engraved wine glass has been filed with the prints. A few lithographs and maps sit under the heading as well.

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Antique Engravings

322 items · page 4 of 21

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A sheet of paper printed from an incised metal plate, sold framed, mounted or loose, with the subject and the artist behind it named in the title.

James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (1665-1745) - By John Simon, After Michael Dahl.

18th century

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James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (1665-1745) - By John Simon, After Michael Dahl.

From The Mezzotint Man

£480

FOR SALE

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Mezzotint Portrait of Lady Mary Boynton by James Watson After Francis Cotes.

18th century

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Mezzotint Portrait of Lady Mary Boynton by James Watson After Francis Cotes.

From The Mezzotint Man

£980

FOR SALE

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A Fabulous Set of Four Good Sized Unframed Gould Tropical Bird Prints (4)

1940 - 1960

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A Fabulous Set of Four Good Sized Unframed Gould Tropical Bird Prints (4)

From Marlborough Antiques & Interiors

£210

FOR SALE

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18th century

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Pair of 18th Century Royal Mezzotint Portraits of King George III and Queen Charlotte by Thomas Frye After Richard Purcell.

From The Mezzotint Man

£800

FOR SALE

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Mezzotint Portrait of Catherine Bunbury (Nee Horneck) by James Watson After Sir Joshua Reynolds.

18th century

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Mezzotint Portrait of Catherine Bunbury (Nee Horneck) by James Watson After Sir Joshua Reynolds.

From The Mezzotint Man

£480

FOR SALE

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18th century

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18thc Engraving in Its Period Frame

From Branching Out Antiques

£140

FOR SALE

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C. 1760 Hand Coloured Pigeon Engraving by François-nicolas Martinet (1731–1800)

18th century

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C. 1760 Hand Coloured Pigeon Engraving by François-nicolas Martinet (1731–1800)

From Artsonline

£750

FOR SALE

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Mezzotint Portrait of Sir Charles Napier 2nd Baronet (1673-1743) - By John Smith After J Sommer.

18th century

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Mezzotint Portrait of Sir Charles Napier 2nd Baronet (1673-1743) - By John Smith After J Sommer.

From The Mezzotint Man

£800

FOR SALE

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18th century

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18th Century Engraving of a View of Paris, Original Hand Colouring

From Miles Barton Art and Interiors

£350

FOR SALE

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1900 - 1920

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Large Oak Framed Decorative Wall Print

From James R Millington Antiques

£130

FOR SALE

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The most expensive engraving ever sold on Sellingantiques was a long hand-coloured George III print, "The Prince's Bow", after F G Byron Esq, in October 2017.

Mezzotint Portrait of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1648) - By John Bowles After Sir Peter Lely, After Samuel Cooper

17th century

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Mezzotint Portrait of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1648) - By John Bowles After Sir Peter Lely, After Samuel Cooper

From The Mezzotint Man

£720

FOR SALE

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Mezzotint Portrait of Jemima ( Jones), Countess of Cornwallis by James Watson After Sir Joshua Reynolds.

19th century

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Mezzotint Portrait of Jemima ( Jones), Countess of Cornwallis by James Watson After Sir Joshua Reynolds.

From The Mezzotint Man

£580

FOR SALE

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18th century

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18th Century Cupids

From Branching Out Antiques

£175

FOR SALE

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Mezzotint Portrait of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1648) - By Joseph Sympson After Sir Peter Lely.

17th century

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Mezzotint Portrait of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1648) - By Joseph Sympson After Sir Peter Lely.

From The Mezzotint Man

£720

FOR SALE

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Mezzotint Portrait of the Countess of Rochford - By John Smith After Charles D'agar

18th century

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Mezzotint Portrait of the Countess of Rochford - By John Smith After Charles D'agar

From The Mezzotint Man

£720

FOR SALE

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Rare Print on Silk of Louis XVI and Family

18th century

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Rare Print on Silk of Louis XVI and Family

From Wigs on the Green

£170

FOR SALE

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Antique Engravings

James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (1665-1745) - By John Simon, After Michael Dahl.

Mezzotint Portrait of Lady Mary Boynton by James Watson After Francis Cotes.

A Fabulous Set of Four Good Sized Unframed Gould Tropical Bird Prints (4)

Pair of 18th Century Royal Mezzotint Portraits of King George III and Queen Charlotte by Thomas Frye After Richard Purcell.

Mezzotint Portrait of Catherine Bunbury (Nee Horneck) by James Watson After Sir Joshua Reynolds.

18thc Engraving in Its Period Frame

C. 1760 Hand Coloured Pigeon Engraving by François-nicolas Martinet (1731–1800)

Mezzotint Portrait of Sir Charles Napier 2nd Baronet (1673-1743) - By John Smith After J Sommer.

18th Century Engraving of a View of Paris, Original Hand Colouring

Large Oak Framed Decorative Wall Print

Mezzotint Portrait of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1648) - By John Bowles After Sir Peter Lely, After Samuel Cooper

Mezzotint Portrait of Jemima ( Jones), Countess of Cornwallis by James Watson After Sir Joshua Reynolds.

18th Century Cupids

Mezzotint Portrait of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1648) - By Joseph Sympson After Sir Peter Lely.

Mezzotint Portrait of the Countess of Rochford - By John Smith After Charles D'agar

Rare Print on Silk of Louis XVI and Family

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