Thomas Stothard & Francesco Del Pedro (XVIII) - La Consolazione

18th-century dotted engraving of museum quality: "The Consolation" by Stothard & Strutt
An exceptional acquisition opportunity, extensively documented, for discerning collectors of prints by old masters and rare literary illustrations. This grand and historic copper-plate engraving (engraving in stipple and etched on copper) was created around 1789-1790 by the famous English engraver and antiquary Joseph Strutt (1749-1802), from an original composition by the renowned Royal Academy master Thomas Stothard (1755-1834).
This specific print, characterized by extremely rare Italian titles and subtitles, interprets the most iconic scene from John Bunyan's theologically significant work, "The Pilgrim's Progress".
Iconography and compositional narration:
Entitled "THE CONSOLATION", the text below reads: "Christian, upon sight of the Cross, saw his burden; three shining youths appeared to him and spoke to him... one to enter the City of Heaven." The oval composition captures the exact moment when the Christian pilgrim, freed from his earthly burden, is welcomed by three radiant angels near the Cross. The ethereal light radiating from the heavens fragments the darkness, demonstrating a masterful command of stippling engraving, creating exceptionally soft skin tones and deep folds with great depth.
The prints of this definitive series are highly institutionalized, with identical English-text specimens preserved in prestigious global collections, including the Wellcome Collection (London) and the British Museum.
Technical details and presentation:
Inventor: Thomas Stothard (1755–1834).
Engraver: Joseph Strutt (1749–1802).
Technique: Original stipple engraving and aquaforte on heavy period paper.
Year of print: circa 1789-1790 (late Georgian/Neoclassical period).
Framing: Professionally presented in an elegant green-sage gallery passe-partout contemporaneous with a gold inner border, ready for a high-quality frame.
Conditions:
The print is in excellent condition for a late 18th-century sheet. The impression of the plate is dark, rich in shading, with an exceptionally intense tonal quality. The historic paper shows its splendid authentic vintage look due to age, with a slight and even natural yellowing, slight edge discoloration, and small historic humidity stains at the outer margins, perfectly hidden by the presentation passe-partout. The central area of the image remains wonderfully sharp and well preserved. Condition: Very Good antique condition. Material: 18th-century laid paper. Technique: Stipple engraving and copperplate engraving. Era: 18th Century (Circa 1789/1790). Signature: Present on the plate (Lower left of the oval: "Thos. Stothard pinxt." / Lower right: "Jos. Strutt sculpsit"). Inscription lower right: the copperplate explicitly bears the historical signature: "Gravé par Cars", combined with the official index of the publication series: "N.° 14. This internal documentation perfectly traces the sheet up to the deluxe imperial edition published in Paris between 1752 and 1753 under royal privilege. Print size cm. 26 x cm. 32
The lot will be appropriately packaged and shipped via approved couriers with online tracking. This lot cannot be shipped outside the European Union.