An original 18th-century mezzotint of "The Misers," published by John Boydell, from the golden era of British printmaking.
It has been trimmed to the margins and the bottom line of text is missing.
It is based on a celebrated Northern Renaissance oil painting originally at Windsor Castle, historically attributed to Quentin Matsys (the famous "Blacksmith of Antwerp"), though modern scholars often attribute it to a follower of Marinus van Reymerswaele.
It features a detailed interior scene showing two older men calculating money behind a table cluttered with loose coins, heavy money bags, an accounting book, and an eyeglass.It was engraved by the master engraver Richard Earlom using the complex mezzotint process and published in London by the legendary printseller John Boydell around 1770.
John Boydell (1720–1804) was the most influential British print publisher and art patron of the 18th century. He single-handedly revolutionized the British print market, transforming England from a country that imported French prints into a dominant global exporter of high-end engravings. Later in life, he achieved significant political status, serving as the Lord Mayor of London.
Born in Shropshire to a land surveyor, Boydell walked to London at age 21 to break into art. He apprenticed himself to engraver William Henry Toms, learning the intricate craft of copperplate incising. In 1752, he opened an independent print shop in Cheapside, London. Realizing that his own artistic talents were limited, he shifted his strategy to focus on buying old printing plates, importing European art, and hiring superior engravers to reproduce them.
Before Boydell, France produced the world's finest engravings, draining vast amounts of currency out of Britain. Boydell set out to beat the French at their own game by commissioning top-tier British printmakers (like William Woollett and Richard Earlom) to produce remarkably high-quality, velvety reproductions of Old Master paintings. His 1760s release of The Death of General Wolfe (engraved by Woollett) became a global commercial juggernaut. French dealers began buying British prints in massive quantities, instantly turning the trade balance in Britain's favour.
In 1786, Boydell embarked on his most famous and ultimate passion project: the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery. He aimed to establish a definitive British school of history painting by commissioning leading painters—including Henry Fuseli and Joshua Reynolds—to create massive oil paintings based on the plays of William Shakespeare. He then hired elite engravers to translate these grand gallery paintings into vast portfolios of collectible prints sold by subscription to the public.
Alongside his publishing empire, Boydell was a dedicated civic official. He became a City Alderman in 1782 and served a prestigious term as Lord Mayor of London from 1790 to 1791. The outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars completely severed Boydell's highly lucrative export market to mainland Europe. Deeply in debt from the expensive Shakespeare project, he was forced to declare bankruptcy. To pay off his creditors, Parliament granted him permission to dispose of his entire Shakespeare Gallery collection via a public lottery in late 1804. He died just a few days before the winning lottery tickets were drawn.
