A Print Sale

The eighteenth century in England was a great age of print collecting and connoisseurship, particularly among the leisured gentlemen classes. This hand-colored etching of print connoisseurs poring over the latest wares is an affectionate dissection of the various postures and expressions accompanying intent curiosity about works of art. If the real-life beholder finds himself or herself similarly engaged, then Rowlandson’s etching can be deemed a success. His elegant and fluid linear style owes much to the ornate French Rococo, while his interest in the comedic nature of close attention finds echo in the work of certain French nineteenth-century artists.