Set 4 Antique Georgian Etchings by Robert Dighton

A charming set of 4 antique caricature portrait etchings by the renowned artist and printmaker Robert Dighton dating from circa 1794 to circa 1810. This collection of Georgian prints are beautifully mounted and glazed in modern gilt frames. The 4 etchings are: “The Lady of the Lake” based on Sir Walter Scott chivalrous, medieval ballad, The Lady of the Lake, set on Loch Katrine in Perthshire. Hand-coloured etching, published in 1810 George Augustus Fenwic & Robert Christopher Packe, a caricature portrait of soldiers killed at the Battle of Waterloo. Hand-coloured etching, published June 1805. ‘The specious orator’ a caricature portrait of James Christie an auctioneer. Hand-coloured etching, published 25 March 1794. ‘We serve a king whom we love – a god whom we adore’ a caricature portrait of John Philip Kemble an actor. Hand-coloured etching, published June 1799. Robert Dighton (c.1752 – 1814) was an English portrait painter, printmaker, and caricaturist. In the 1770s Dighton began acting and singing in plays at the Haymarket Theatre, Covent Garden and Sadler’s Wells while at the same time training and exhibiting at the Royal Academy; entering the Royal Academy in 1722. Much of Dighton’s early work was issued anonymously, but by the early 1790s it became increasingly well-known and he began etching and publishing under his own name. In awkward poses and with ruddy faces, Dighton’s satirical caricatures included lawyers, military officers, actors and actresses who were seen about town, as well as down-at-heel types. In 1795 he brought out a Book of Heads and thenceforth devoted himself chiefly to caricature. His work is noted as being less savage than that of his contemporaries, James Gilray and George Cruikshank. By the start of the century, his success allowed him to open a shop in Charing Cross, where he sold his own prints and those of others. Construction: Framed antique prints