Some Day the Lord will give His Blessing
Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). The Industrious Prentice performing the Duty of a Christian. During the service side by side with the daughter of his wealthy master, jointly holding the gospel book. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Designed by Wm. Hogarth. / Engraved by T. Cook. / Plate 2. / Published by T. Cook Islington; and G. G. & J. Robinsons, Paternoster Row, February 1st. 1796. 30.2 x 36.5 cm.
Industry & Idleness II. – Marvellous impression on buff paper. In its downright luxuriously wide white margin a few weak foxing spots and upper right slight water streak. Beyond that – contrary to all later Hogarth editions – in the original size. – Cook “made his mark as Hogarth engraver, too” (Thieme-Becker).
“ Whereas the industrious apprentice has the honour, too, to attend church with his master’s daughter and he sings devoutly with her from the same gospel book … Once they will surely become a pair … our Goodchild and Miss West, his lord’s and master’s only daughter! ”
(subtext of a lithograph).
The master’s famous, most popular suite, showing by example of two apprentices in a weaving mill as one of the main branches of industry in his days the chances of their life as well as the temptations detrimental to their career :
Calculated for the use & Instruction of youth
w(h)erein every thing necessary to be known was to be made
as intelligible as possible
(Hogarth in his Autobiographical Notes).
“ The scenes should be as easily intelligible as possible for which the engravings had not to be worked in all fineness. It was rather important to keep costs low so that even apprentices could buy these sheets. Hogarth designed a frame-like border around each picture – supposedly he assumed that the boys would pin up these engravings directly at the wall. In this border below of every scene he had added a characteristic verse from the Bible to the idle and (or) industrious apprentice … at top on the one hand a cat-o-’nine-tails, a pair of fetters, and a halter as emblems of the tragic end of the idle apprentice and on the other hand golden chain, sword and mace as hints to the career of the industrious one ”
(Bachofen-Moser, William Hogarth in the Art Gallery Zurich, 1983, p. 98).
Offer no. 7,529 / EUR 220. (c. US$ 310.) + shipping
– – – The same, but with timemarked, tiny papermargin. Above in the title brown, on the right in the lateral lining weak foxing spot. At the back purchase note by old hand.
Offer no. 14,433 / EUR 184. (c. US$ 260.) + shipping
– – – The same in Hogarth’s own etching in an impression from the plate reworked by the royal engraver James Heath (1757 London 1834) about 1822 (“Even these impressions became relatively rare today though”, Art Gallery Esslingen 1970; and Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4th 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”]). Inscribed: Design’d & Engrav’d by Wm. Hogarth. / Plate 2 / Publish’d according to Act of Parliament Sepbr. 30th. 1747. 26.6 x 35 cm.
Illustration Hogarth Catalogue Zurich, 1983, 54. – On wide-margined buff paper.
Offer no. 7,685 / EUR 50. (c. US$ 71.) + shipping
– – – The same in Cook’s smaller repetition, but without the verse and the marginal symbols and with the series title as subtext. Inscribed: Pl. II. / Hogarth pinxt. / T. Cook sculpt. / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees & Orme. May 1st. 1807. Subject size 13.2 x 16.9 cm. – Trimmed within the wide white platemark.
Offer no. 8,881 / EUR 37. (c. US$ 52.) + shipping
– – – The same in engraving by Ernst Ludwig Riepenhausen (1765 Göttingen 1840, university engraver there). Inscribed: 28. / W. Hogarth inv & pinx. 1747. / Pl. 2. / Riepenhausen del & sc. 22.5 x 28 cm. – Impression on especially buff paper, supposedly about 1850. – Riepenhausen’s engravings after Hogarth (“very estimable”, Nagler) belong to his chief work and are partly even preferred to Hogarth’s own engravings.
Offer no. 7,686 / EUR 50. (c. US$ 71.) + shipping
– – – The same by Riepenhausen as before, but on slightly toned minor paper.
Offer no. 14,434 / EUR 40. (c. US$ 56.) + shipping
– – – The same in lithography by Ludwig Blau (Lauchstädt, Merseburg, 1808/10 – Leipsic 1899). (1833/36.) Inscribed: 20. / L. Blau. lith. 21.5 x 26.3 cm. – Title – Der fleißige Lehrbursche in der Kirche – and extensive subtext à la Lichtenberg in German.
Offer no. 7,687 / EUR 61. (c. US$ 86.) + shipping
– – – The same in steel engraving about 1840. 13 x 16 cm. – With title in German + English, but without verse and marginal symbols.
Offer no. 7,688 / EUR 24. (c. US$ 34.) + shipping
Further single sujets of the set available in several qualities.
„ Hartelijk dank voor de zorgvulige wijze … Voor mij bent u de Mercedes onder de prentenhandelaren! “
(Mijnheer P. E., 24. Januar 2008)