Jean Pierre Simon 'John Peter Simon, the Younger' & Robert Smirke

Shakspeare. As You Like It. Act II, Scene VII. The Seven Ages of Man. Seventh Age. Pub. June 4 1801, by J. & J. Boydell at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall, & No. 90, Cheapside, London. Engraved by I. P. Simon. Painted by R. Smirke R. A.

The Seventh Age, the "last scene", is the cruelest of all. Running full circle it is the second childhood. Thus at the feet of the decrepit man, a young boy plays with his house of cards. In the background a nurse is fast asleep. The paintings on the walls portray the ravages of father time. Brutally the play of life ends in "mere oblivion; Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans every thing."

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits, and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms;
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel,
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school: and then, the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow: Then, a soldier;
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like a pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth: and then, the justice;
In fair round belly, with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances,
And so he plays his part: The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon;
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side;
His youthful hose well sav'd, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again to childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound: Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness, and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything." * Shakespeare

In this scene, the artist portrays a drowsy and feeble old man wrapped in blankets as the main character, and the personification of the seventh age. The old gentleman is seated by a dark and cold fireplace and is oblivious to the paintings on his walls, the sleeping woman seated near him or the young child building a house of cards on the floor. There is a chest of drawers to his right, decked with a bowl for his porridge, a mug for his hot milk, various bottles, and other medicinal items needed to relieve the pain from his frail and aging body. And alas, there is a pair of crutches leaning against the chest, indicating the poor old man's lack of mobility.

This is an original 'Open Letter Proof Impression'. 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. . The text below the image of this proof impression reads; "Shakspeare. As You Like It. Act II, Scene VII. The Seven Ages of Man. Seventh Age. Pub. June 4 1801, by J. & J. Boydell at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall, & No. 90, Cheapside, London. Engraved by I. P. Simon. Painted by R. Smirke R. A."

Jaq._____ Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness, and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

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.

The artist biographies, research and or information pertaining to all the original works of art posted on our pages has been written and designed by Greg & Connie Peters exclusively for our site, (www.artoftheprint.com). Please visit us regularly to view the latest artworks offered for sale. We will soon be posting an update of our most recent research and include the biographical and historical information pertaining to our next collection of original works of art created by artists throughout the centuries. We hope you found the information you were looking for and that it has been beneficial.

Our Gallery, (Art of the Print / www.artoftheprint.com) guarantees the authenticity of every work of art we sell 100%. Full documentation and certification is provided. We offer a wide selection of international fine art dating from the early Renaissance to the contemporary art period.