The Prospect of Cambridge from the West

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

This engraving of ‘The Prospect of Cambridge from the West’ was published as part of Joseph Smith’s ‘Britannia Illustrata’ (by now retitled ‘Nouveau Théâtre de la Grande Bretagne’) of 1724. The first edition of ‘Britannia Illustrata’ was a collection of high-quality plates showing bird's-eye prospects by artist Leonard Knyff, engraved by Johannes Kip. The plates were initially sold as single engraved sheets from about 1700 and then collated and reissued as a single volume publication of 80 topographical etchings in 1707 by London-based Dutch publisher and printseller David Mortier. Joseph Smith (active 1709-1731), in partnership with Mortier and printsellers Henry Overton and Daniel Midwinter, bought the plates for ‘Britannia Illustrata’ soon after 1707. Smith republished the volume in 1709 but also commissioned further topographical and architectural prints to supplement the publication. Smith thereby amplified ‘Britannia Illustrata’, publishing the most comprehensive, four volume French language edition, titled ‘Nouveau Théâtre...’, in 1724. This print is from that third, 1724, volume. Generally the artists who worked on plates added after the first 1707 publication are unknown.

Places

England, Cambridgeshire

Subjects

harvesting, rake, farmer/farm labourer, cart, wagon, drinking, rest/sleep, topography, landscape C18th, townscape/cityscape, wheat, horse, boy, man, woman, girl, college, putto, road, sheaf, university, library, prison, farm, chapel, church, spire, tower

Materials & Techniques

engraving, coloured engraving

Artist

British 18th century unknown

Title

The Prospect of Cambridge from the West

Date

published 1724

Medium

Coloured engraving

Acquisition

Purchased from Parker Gallery, April 1960

GAC number

5097