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(1801) 1st State: Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious G. Washington. Boston

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:1,200.00 - 1,800.00 USD
(1801) 1st State: Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious G. Washington. Boston
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Washington Related
“Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious G. Washington.” by F. Clarke: “G. Washington. / There is Rest in Heaven.”
(1801), Rare First State without added “1801” date and “Boston”, George Washington Mourning Engraving, by Thomas Clarke, (Boston), Period Framed, Very Fine.
Uncommon 1801 engraving with George Washington Portrait on a Memorial monument, entitled, “Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious G. Washington.”, by Thomas Clarke, listed as Hart 279. (This is the rarer version without reworking of the engraving). Measures 8.25” x 8”, apparently housed in its original period frame, to an overall size 13.25” x 11”. The image shows a monument to Washington, with a bust portrait on top and the legend "There is Rest in Heaven" below. A cherubim is engraved above the portrait and laurel branches grace each side, while a weeping willow frames the monument behind. To the left stand a man and a woman weeping into handkerchiefs, while consoled by the figure of “Hope,” shown pointing to heaven and with the symbol of an anchor (Hope as an anchor of the soul). The image is surrounded by two circular, decorative borders and an engraved, brickwork frame bordered with a black band. Some rubbing at the lower right and upper left corners, trivial spotting, overall very original.

During the late 18th and early 19th century, many important American figures were memorialized with allegorical prints. The most popular subject of these commemorative images was George Washington, and this is a nice example of the type, drawn and engraved by Thomas Clarke in Boston just after the turn of the century. Such prints would have graced many homes in the years after Washington's death, but few have survived today; this is a particularly rare image and is ready to hang on display.