The Songstress
Original title: The Songstress
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike the usual portraits of singers from his time, John Raphael Smith's 1782 stipple engraving places the woman in a landscape with a songbook. This print, executed as a stipple engraving, is present here in the first of two states and measures 25.2 × 22.9 cm (plate).
Description
A woman in 18th-century dress holds a songbook or sheet music. Her turn from behind and to the side brings her posture and the book into view. Mountains and trees vaguely suggest a landscape. An oval frame encloses the motif, below which follow the title 'THE SONGSTRESS' and a poem about melody and song; at the bottom edge are the publisher's name and address.
Context
Smith (1751–1812) was an English engraver and painter, known primarily for his mezzotints. In 1782 there was a great demand in England for print graphics, especially reproductions of popular paintings. Stipple engraving emerged in the late 18th century and offered fine tonal gradations valued for reproducing paintings. A London publisher issued the sheet, indicating the commercial distribution of such prints.
Impact
The stippling creates a soft, painterly tone reminiscent of a drawing or painting. The quiet, intimate scene of the singing woman invites calm contemplation, supported by the idyllic landscape behind her.
Technique
In stipple engraving, the image structure is formed from fine dots and short strokes that model shading and details. Tonal values can thus be rendered precisely, which is why the technique was often used for portraits and genre scenes. The present work is the first of two states, that is, an impression before later revisions of the plate.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)