A Book of Shields
Print
ca. 1746 (first published), ca. 1746 (first published)
ca. 1746 (first published), ca. 1746 (first published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This print is an etching. An etching is produced by biting lines in a metal plate with acid to hold ink. The lines on the plate are filled with ink which is then printed onto paper. This etching is also an ornament print, for the printmaker intended it to be useful as a pattern for other craftsmen and women.
Time
This is one of the earliest Rococo ornament prints published in England. The asymmetry of the shield and made up of elements in the shape of the letter C and S, and fluted edges suggestive of rocks, trailing flowers and scrolling foliage, are all typical of English Rococo.
Materials & Making
This is the sixth plate in a set of six shields. In style all the plates resemble Matthias Lock's own trade card which he himself etched in 1746. He also etched this print himself and signed it 'M. Lock fec'. The letters 'fec' are an abbreviation for the Latin fecit meaning 'made[it]'. Later in his career Lock employed a professional engraver to produce some of his sets of ornament prints.
Trading
Following Lock's death in 1765, the London print publisher Robert Sayer acquired most of Lock's copper plates and began republishing them. Sayer republished A Book of Shields on 3 February 1768, charging one shilling for the set. There was still a demand for these plates more than twenty years after the plates were etched.
This print is an etching. An etching is produced by biting lines in a metal plate with acid to hold ink. The lines on the plate are filled with ink which is then printed onto paper. This etching is also an ornament print, for the printmaker intended it to be useful as a pattern for other craftsmen and women.
Time
This is one of the earliest Rococo ornament prints published in England. The asymmetry of the shield and made up of elements in the shape of the letter C and S, and fluted edges suggestive of rocks, trailing flowers and scrolling foliage, are all typical of English Rococo.
Materials & Making
This is the sixth plate in a set of six shields. In style all the plates resemble Matthias Lock's own trade card which he himself etched in 1746. He also etched this print himself and signed it 'M. Lock fec'. The letters 'fec' are an abbreviation for the Latin fecit meaning 'made[it]'. Later in his career Lock employed a professional engraver to produce some of his sets of ornament prints.
Trading
Following Lock's death in 1765, the London print publisher Robert Sayer acquired most of Lock's copper plates and began republishing them. Sayer republished A Book of Shields on 3 February 1768, charging one shilling for the set. There was still a demand for these plates more than twenty years after the plates were etched.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | A Book of Shields (suite title) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Matthias Lock (after), plate 6 from 'A Book of Shields', London, ca. 1746. |
| Dimensions | |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Matthias Lock, a carver, and Henry Copland, an engraver, developed a distinctively English Rococo style in the 1740s. In their hands Rococo ornament became agitated and angular, often featuring wiry scrolls, spiky leaves and Chinese motifs. This style was popular with engravers and dominated English woodcarving until about 1765.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Designed and etched in London by Matthias Lock (born in London, about 1710, died there in 1765) |
| Summary | Object Type This print is an etching. An etching is produced by biting lines in a metal plate with acid to hold ink. The lines on the plate are filled with ink which is then printed onto paper. This etching is also an ornament print, for the printmaker intended it to be useful as a pattern for other craftsmen and women. Time This is one of the earliest Rococo ornament prints published in England. The asymmetry of the shield and made up of elements in the shape of the letter C and S, and fluted edges suggestive of rocks, trailing flowers and scrolling foliage, are all typical of English Rococo. Materials & Making This is the sixth plate in a set of six shields. In style all the plates resemble Matthias Lock's own trade card which he himself etched in 1746. He also etched this print himself and signed it 'M. Lock fec'. The letters 'fec' are an abbreviation for the Latin fecit meaning 'made[it]'. Later in his career Lock employed a professional engraver to produce some of his sets of ornament prints. Trading Following Lock's death in 1765, the London print publisher Robert Sayer acquired most of Lock's copper plates and began republishing them. Sayer republished A Book of Shields on 3 February 1768, charging one shilling for the set. There was still a demand for these plates more than twenty years after the plates were etched. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 29564:122 |
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| Record created | June 20, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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