John Browne & William Hodges

Shakspeare. Merchant of Venice. Act V, Scene I. A Grove & Lawn, before Portia's House. Jessica, Lorenzo and Stephano. Publish'd Dec. 1, 1795, by J & J. Boydell, at the Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall; & No. 90, Cheapside, London. Engraved by J.. Browne. Painted by W. Hodges R. A.

Lorenzo: Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming.
And yet no matter;- Why should we go in?
My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you,
Within the house, your mistress is at hand:
And bring your music forth into the air.

[Exit Stephano.
How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and the night,
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven
Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold.
There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins:
Such harmony is in immortal souls;
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. -

Enter Musicians.
Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn;
With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear,
And draw her home with music.

This original first edition engraving depicts a scene from William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. A beautiful moonlit view at the Grove & Lawn, before Portia's House, with Jessica, Lorenzo and Stephano. Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" includes such characters as, Antonio a wealthy and respected merchant of Venice and his good friend, Bassanio. Bassanio needs money to court Portia, a wealthy and beautiful woman in Belmont. Since Antonio has invested in merchant ships, he has none to lend, but confident that the ships will arrive in time, agrees to let Bassanio use his name to secure the loan from Shylock, a rich Jewish moneylender. Shylock despises Antonio, but agrees to lend the money, only if he can take a pound of flesh from Antonio as payment if he does not pay in time. In the meantime, Lorenzo another close friend of Antonio's, has fallen in love with Shylock's daughter, Jessica, and has eloped with her, making Shylock livid. When Bassanio and his friend, Gratiano arrive in Belmonto, the fair Portia & Bassanio fall in love, but according to her father's wishes, Portia can only marry the man who chooses the right casket, and of course, he does, having rejected the gold and the silver he has chosen her picture. Gratiano and Portia's maid and confidant, Nerissa also fall in love. Their weddings take place and a letter from Antonio arrives informing them his ships have been lost at sea. Antonio must fulfill his agreement with Shylock and is summon to court. In the end, Portia and Nerissa intervene in court, save Antonio's life, leave the villainous Shylock without money and the lovers are re-united. Note: Stephano is a messenger sent by Portia to announce her return.

This original engraving is a 'First Edition Impression'. 4. 'First Edition Impressions'. The completed set of John Boydell's Shakespeare engravings was published in London in 1803. The full publisher's address appears along the lower margin as well as the text for the play. The heading, 'Shakspeare', is now filled in with stippling. The text below the image of this proof impression reads;

Lor. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and the night,
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven

Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold.
There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins:
Luck harmony is in immortal souls;"

An Important Note on Boydell States and Editions: Proof impressions and true first edition impressions are easily identified by their fine lines and strong contrasts of black and white tones. Later more common editions print in a more overall grey tone and contain areas of re-working. Briefly, the publishing history of these great engravings can be categorized into five states or editions:

1. 'Artist's Proofs'. These are the earliest of states and were printed in only a handful of impressions. They are identified not only by their vibrant lines and tones but by the fact that they lack any letters along the lower margin.
2. 'Proofs Before Title'. These impressions usually contain the names of the artist, publisher and engraver along the lower margin. They lack the title of the specific play depicted and usually the heading -- 'Shakspeare' -- is smaller than in the published edition. Once again, this state was printed in a very small numbers.
3. 'Open Letter Proofs'. These impressions bear the title of the play. the heading, 'Shakspeare' (Shakespeare), is yet to be filled in with stippling. These impressions were printed before the publication of the first edition and were probably struck from the plate at a customer's request. Perhaps ten to twenty Open Letter Proofs exist for each engraving.
4. 'First Edition Impressions'. The completed set of Boydell's Shakespeare engravings was published in London in 1803. The full publisher's address appears along the lower margin as well as the text for the play. The heading, 'Shakspeare', is now filled in with stippling. Both first edition impressions and proofs were most often printed on either hand-made, laid paper or wove paper bearing the 'J. Whatman' watermark.
5. 'Posthumous Impressions and Restrikes' As early as 1807, John Stockdale of London issued a second edition of the Shakespeare prints. They continued to be published throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. Finally, in 1852, an enterprising dentist in New York City (with the delightful name of Shearjashub Spooner) acquired the plates, restored them and produced the last edition. These prints are most commonly offered for sale.

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