The Royal Family at the Royal Academy
Print
1788 (made)
1788 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This print was made by a combination of techniques: engraving, etching and stipple etching. Engraved lines are made by gouging them into the surface of a flat piece of metal (the 'plate'). The etched lines and stipple marks (dots and short flicks) are produced by biting into the metal with acid. The plate is then inked and pressed onto a sheet of paper, thus transferring the ink held in the lines and marks.
Subject Depicted
This print shows the Royal Family viewing the annual exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts at Somerset House, London, in 1788. George III and Queen Charlotte are shown in the Exhibition Room, surrounded by their numerous children and attendants.
From its foundation in 1768 the Royal Academy was the most prestigious institution in Britain for teaching and exhibiting art. It held an annual exhibition of paintings, sculptures and designs, which it decreed 'shall be open to all Artists of distinguished merit'. Aspiring artists submitted their works, and a selection were chosen by the committee for exhibition. So many pictures were submitted that they had to be hung almost from floor to ceiling and with the frames touching each other. The Exhibition Room at Somerset House shown here was 'undoubtedly at that date the finest gallery for displaying pictures so far built', according to one contemporary commentator.
People
The American-born painter Benjamin West (1738-1820), one of the founder members of the Royal Academy of Arts, can be seen in this print leaning against the wall at the left with some of the younger princes.
This print was made by a combination of techniques: engraving, etching and stipple etching. Engraved lines are made by gouging them into the surface of a flat piece of metal (the 'plate'). The etched lines and stipple marks (dots and short flicks) are produced by biting into the metal with acid. The plate is then inked and pressed onto a sheet of paper, thus transferring the ink held in the lines and marks.
Subject Depicted
This print shows the Royal Family viewing the annual exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts at Somerset House, London, in 1788. George III and Queen Charlotte are shown in the Exhibition Room, surrounded by their numerous children and attendants.
From its foundation in 1768 the Royal Academy was the most prestigious institution in Britain for teaching and exhibiting art. It held an annual exhibition of paintings, sculptures and designs, which it decreed 'shall be open to all Artists of distinguished merit'. Aspiring artists submitted their works, and a selection were chosen by the committee for exhibition. So many pictures were submitted that they had to be hung almost from floor to ceiling and with the frames touching each other. The Exhibition Room at Somerset House shown here was 'undoubtedly at that date the finest gallery for displaying pictures so far built', according to one contemporary commentator.
People
The American-born painter Benjamin West (1738-1820), one of the founder members of the Royal Academy of Arts, can be seen in this print leaning against the wall at the left with some of the younger princes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Royal Family at the Royal Academy (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Etching, stipple etching and engraving, ink on paper |
| Brief description | Engraving of the Royal Family at the Royal Academy |
| Physical description | Print depicting King George III, Queen Charlotte and the Royal Family viewing an exhibition at the Royal Academy. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | The Portraits design'd by P. Ramberg. P. Martini Sculpt. |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Sir William Chambers' principal achievement as an architect was Somerset House on the Strand in London, begun in 1776. It was built in a style combining Palladian and Neo-classical elements and housed civil servants and learned societies, such as the Royal Academy, which became a major social venue.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mrs F. B. Haines |
| Object history | Portraits probably by John Henry Ramberg (born in Hanover, Germany, 1763, died there in 1840); etched and engraved by Pierre Antoine Martini (born in 1739, died in 1800) London |
| Production | After portraits probably by John Henry Ramberg |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type This print was made by a combination of techniques: engraving, etching and stipple etching. Engraved lines are made by gouging them into the surface of a flat piece of metal (the 'plate'). The etched lines and stipple marks (dots and short flicks) are produced by biting into the metal with acid. The plate is then inked and pressed onto a sheet of paper, thus transferring the ink held in the lines and marks. Subject Depicted This print shows the Royal Family viewing the annual exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts at Somerset House, London, in 1788. George III and Queen Charlotte are shown in the Exhibition Room, surrounded by their numerous children and attendants. From its foundation in 1768 the Royal Academy was the most prestigious institution in Britain for teaching and exhibiting art. It held an annual exhibition of paintings, sculptures and designs, which it decreed 'shall be open to all Artists of distinguished merit'. Aspiring artists submitted their works, and a selection were chosen by the committee for exhibition. So many pictures were submitted that they had to be hung almost from floor to ceiling and with the frames touching each other. The Exhibition Room at Somerset House shown here was 'undoubtedly at that date the finest gallery for displaying pictures so far built', according to one contemporary commentator. People The American-born painter Benjamin West (1738-1820), one of the founder members of the Royal Academy of Arts, can be seen in this print leaning against the wall at the left with some of the younger princes. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.3648-1923 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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