John Cother Webb Mezzotint of a young boy in red

An absolutely lovely protrait of a young boy in red from the late 18th century, by John Cother Webb. This is a mezzotint of an oil painting by the celebrated French artist, Elizabeth Vigée le Brun, who was a favorite of Marie-Antoinette. In her catalogue of works, the sitter is identified as "Little D'Espagnac" - ie the son of John Joseph de Sahuget D'Amarzit D'Espagnac, an aristocrat who was a General and governor of the royal Hôtel des Invalides. The original was painted in 1786. This mezzotint is dated 1911 and is signed by the engraver lower right. John Cother Webb (1855-1927) was known in London as the "Doyen" of British engravers. He was born in Torquay, studied under Thomas Landseer in London, perfected the art of producing color mezzotint prints in one pass through the etching press. He is said to have been largely responsible for the increase in interest in and value of reproductive mezzotints during his own lifetime. The engravings were made after portrait paintings by other famous artists. Webb was an early and regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy. His work is found in collections of the Royal Academy, the Victoria and Albert Museum and extensively in the print collection of the British Museum.