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“ … painted  with  the  greatest  pleasure ”

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). Captⁿ. Tho^s. Coram who after 17 Years unwearied application, obtained the Charter of Foundling Hospital, To the Governors & Guardians of the Hospital, this Print is humbly dedicated by their obedient humble Serv^t. R. Cribb. The naval officer Thomas Coram (Lyme Regis, Dorset, c. 1668 – London 1751) sitting in the porch, in the right the seal of the Royal Charter lying on a small table that in 1739 granted him the establishment of the Foundling Hospital. On the left view at the sailed sea, right at his feet captain’s license + globe with the Atlantic turned to the onlooker. As center piece of the subtext the arms of the Foundling Hospital. Stipple by William Nutter (1754-1802) for R. Cribb. Inscribed: W.. Hogarth Pinx^t. / W. Nutter sculp^t. / London. Published Dec. 1. 1796, by R. Cribb, N^o. 2ss Holborn., otherwise as above. 57.3 x 40.5 cm.

“ The series of his portraits is opened by the ‘Coram’, in the Foundling Hospital, whose portrait H. has painted, as he expresses himself, ‘with the greatest pleasure’. In the disposition of space, with the open arcade and the vista of sea and ships, as well as in the imposing sitting figure of the depicted one the deliberate reference to the older arrangement of the English-French representation picture still shows. The generous-decorative overall effect which harmonizes well with the solemn-atmospheric surroundings procures this founder’s portrait a place of honor in the series of the others there ”

(B. C. Kreplin, Allg. Lex. d. bild. Künstler XVII [1924], p. 299).

Harmonic, wide-margined impression on strong paper from the plate retouched by the royal engraver James Heath (1757 London 1834) about 1822 (“Even these impressions have become relatively rare today though”, Art Gallery Esslingen 1970; and Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4^th ed., VIII [1888], 625: “A fine edition”, esteemed also already by contemporary collectors of the rank of for instance an A. T. Stewart [Catalog of the Stewart Collection, New York 1887, 1221, “fine plates”]).
Offer no. 7,841 / EUR  176. (c. US$ 236.) + shipping

– – – The same in steel engraving about 1840. Inscribed: Captain Thomas Coram. 16.5 x 10.7 cm.
Offer no. 7,842 / EUR  40. (c. US$ 54.) + shipping

– – – The same as half-length portrait in oval and without accessories in Thomas Cook’s (c. 1744 – London 1818) popular later, smaller version. Inscribed: Captain Thomas Coram. / Hogarth pinx^t. / T. Cook & Son sculp^t. / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, March 1^st. 1808. 15.6 x 10.3 cm. – Trimmed within the wide white platemark.
Offer no. 8,936 / EUR  29. (c. US$ 39.) + shipping