H Ker 1807 [top left]. 1807 [lower left]
Rare pen lithograph. printed area 225 x 310mm (8¾ x 12¼"). Slight creasing; on cream wove paper.
Early lithograph by Charles Henry Bellenden Ker (c.1785-1871), whose work was included in the second issue of 'Specimens of Polyautography' issued in 1807. The first part of 'Specimens' (1803) was the first set of artist's lithographs ever published, showcasing the new medium which allowed artists to make prints arguably resembling drawings more than any earlier technique. Unlike most printmaking techniques, lithography required no special training as artists could work directly onto the plate and leave specialist printers to actually make the prints. For this reason many artists who were not trained printmakers (such as Géricault and Delacroix) often worked in lithography. Ker was a law reformer, particularly in the area of statue law, but he also had a lifelong interest in art and science, as this early print demonstrates. Ker's father was a prominent botanist and he inherited this interest, becoming one of the first private growers of orchids in Britain, and providing the sketches for an important book on chinese plants.
Ex: Collection of the Late Hon. C. Lennox-Boyd.
[Ref: 35466]  £220.00