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1817 Extraordinary Calligraphic Memorial Engraving to George Washington

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,800.00 USD Estimated At:2,400.00 - 2,800.00 USD
1817 Extraordinary Calligraphic Memorial Engraving to George Washington
Washington Related
"Eulogium Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious George Washington...” P. Maverick Engraved After Benj. O. Tyler
1817-Dated, Extraordinary Memorial Calligraphic Engraving titled, "Eulogium Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious George Washington, Columbia's Greatest and Successful Son: honored Be His Name.", Engraved by Peter Maverick after Benjamin O. Tyler, Choice Very Fine.
Excellent original large 24" x 18.5" Engraving After a Calligraphic work of art, “Designed Written and Published by Benjamin O. Tyler, Professor of Penmanship, New York, 1817." It was engraved by Peter Maverick of Newark, New Jersey. The complexity of this dedicatory print to George Washington almost defies description. It is a most impressive exercise in penmanship and engraving by Benjamin O. Tyler, "Professor of Penmanship." A strong, stipple engraving of Washington after the Gilbert Stuart portrait is in an oval which surmounts two statements which mourn his death: "Gen. George Washington departed this life Decr. 14th 1799 AE67. And the tears of a NATION watered his grave" and at the base "Washington's no more by silence grief's express'd / Lo! here he lies, his Works proclaim the rest." The portrait is flanked by Masonic symbols: a book held open by a compass and angle on the left and a shining sun on the right. The emphasis of the text appearance is calligraphy using many letters and ingenious figures of angels to express encomiums and prayers. A handsome central Portrait of General George Washington, shows him dressed in his military uniform, this being inside an oval border design inscribed: “Sacred to the Memory of the Brave” and 18 Stars within the design below that text. At the base of Washington’s image is an oval plaque with text reading: ”Gen. George Washington departed this life Dec. 14th 1799 AE67. And the tears of a Nation watered his grave.” The image of Washington rests on top of an “alter” design with a poem within reading: “Washington’s no more, by silence grief’s express’d, Lo! here he lies, his Works proclaim the rest.” It has many highly decorative and ornate devices including; cherubs, angels blowing trumpets of fame, eagles, an elegiac poem and various Masonic symbols. There are expert professionally repairs to the top right corner and a fine 18” tear in the upper left portion that are well concealed thus overall quite nice and highly impressive, specially for framing and display. In this third state of the memorial, Tyler added a facsimile of Washington's signature to the bottom right corner, thus appealing to the new fashion of collecting authentic signatures at that time. One of the finer examples we have seen and offered.

See: See: Hart; Catalogue of Engraved Portraits of Washington, no. 796b iii/ill; DeWitt Stephens; The Mavericks: American Engravers no. 767c, Iii/iii; Stauffer; American Engravers on Copper and Steel pages 176-177.
Peter Maverick after Benjamin Tyler: George Washington..

New York: Published by Benjamin Tyler, 126 Broadway, 1817. Line engraving. State iii/iii. In excellent condition with the exception of being trimmed within the plate mark on all sides. Slightly uneven edges. Sheet size: 18 3/8” x 23 1/4”.

A wonderful Memorial to George Washington, advertising the superior penmanship of Benjamin Tyler and the celebrated Engraving of Peter Maverick. In this fascinating memorial plate to Washington, Benjamin Tyler takes the opportunity to advertise his services as a writing instructor, by producing a highly ornate and decorative calligraphic sheet.

Tyler was a New York writing master and publisher and is best known for his early reproduction of the Declaration of Independence. With the development of an extremely patriotic public, American subject pints became extremely popular, and entrepreneurial engravers and publishers rushed to capitalize on this new craze. Tyler's memorial to Washington is a perfect example of this commercial trend. By publishing a print that venerates Washington, Tyler capitalizes on the trends of the print market and obtains a perfect commodity through which to advertise his services as a writing master.

To execute producing his engraved plate, Tyler used the famous American engraver Peter Maverick, who is regarded as one of the forefathers of American printmaking. Maverick learned the art of engraving from his father who ran a successful print shop is New York. Although he worked predominantly for book-publishers and bank note companies, his name Is often paired with Tyler in more Independent projects. In fact, Maverick engraved one of Tyler's most celebrated prints, “The Declaration of Independence.” He also instructed many pupils, his most famous being the famous Asher B. Durand, with whom he formed a partnership in 1817.

As a result of his popularity Maverick became one of the founding members of the National Academy, and in addition to his numerous book illustrations and bank designs, he produced many fine portraits, most notably of American politicians. This print shows an amazing virtuosity, and recalls the plates produced by George Bickham and other writing masters during the first half of the 18th century, it highlights the engraver's ability.

The story behind it tells volumes about the reputation of Washington among the American people in the first half of the nineteenth century. In his landmark article "American History in Image and Text," in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, Vol. 98, pt. 2(1988) see especially pp. 247-53, John Bidwell has shown that Benjamin Tyler's memorial was first issued at the same time as John Trumbull's famous print of the Declaration of Independence, and, indeed, it competed with it because Trumbull complained of the situation.

In this third state of the memorial, Tyler added a facsimile of Washington's signature to the bottom right corner, thus appealing to the new fashion of collecting authentic signatures at that time. In this way, Tyler also aligned his print to compete with John Binns' famous print of the "Declaration of Independence" which contained facsimile signatures of all the signers. This beautiful, complex, and fascinating print expresses much about the patriotic fervor of Americans at this time.

See: Hart, Catalogue of Engraved Portraits of Washington no. 796b iii/ill; DeWitt Stephens, The Mavericks: American Engravers no. 767c, Iii/iii; Stauffer, American Engravers on Copper and Steel pages 176-177.