Jean Pierre Simon 'John Peter Simon, the Younger' & John Opie

Shakspeare. Winter's Tale. Act II, Scene III. Publish'd June 4th. 1793. by John & Josiah Boydell, at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall, & No. 90. Cheapside, London. Engraved by J. P. Simon. Painted by J. Opie.

Leontes, the King of Sicily. I am a feather for each wind that blows.
Shall I live on the see this bastard kneel
And call me father? Better burn it now
Than curse it then. But be it; let it live.
It shall not neither.

[To Antigonus.]

You, sir, come you hither:
You that have been so tenderly officious
With Lady Margery, your midwife there,
To save this bastard's life - for 'tis a bastard,
So sure as this beard's grey - what will you adventure
To save this brat's life?

Antigonus. Any thing, my lord,
That my ability may undergo
And nobleness impose; at least thus much:
I'll pawn the little blood which I have left
To save the innocent - any thing possible.

Leontes, the King of Sicily. It shall be possible: Swear by this sword.
Thou wit perform my bidding.

Antigonus. I will. my lord.

Leontes, the King of Sicily. Mark, and perform it; see'st thou for the fail
Of any point in't shall not only be
Death to thyself, but be thy lew'd-tongu'd wife:
Whom for this time, we pardon.

This original engraving is based upon a play by william Shakespeare and takes place within the royal rooms. This scene depicts the birth of the infant Perdita surrounded by her father, Leontes, the King of Sicily, an insanely jealous husband, Queen Hermione's attendants, and armed guards. Leontes (dressed in armour), demands that Antigonus (an old lord at Leontes' court), swear upon the sword before him to bid his request and take the child to a remote and uninhabited place leaving her unprotected, and without mercy. As instructed, Antigonus left the newborn babe in the wilderness by the seacoast of Bohemia. She was quickly discovered by a shepherd and his son (Clown), who had just witnessed the death of Antigonus (devoured by a bear). King Leontes was convinced the baby was not his, and accused Queen Hermione of infidelity with his friend Polixenes, the King of Bohemia, and without hesitation, sentenced them all to death. Cleomines, a Sicilian lord in the king's court was sent with Dion, another lord to the Oracle of Delphi to ask Apollo for a verdict on Hermione's case. After their return, (too late), it was reported that Hermione was innocent. Mortified and ashamed by his behavior, the king then lapsed into a deep depression and mourned for the next sixteen years, until it was discovered that Queen Hermione, Perdita and his friend Polixenes were still alive. In the end Perdita falls in love and marries the son of Polixenes and all is forgiven. This original engraving is a striking example of the engraved art of J. P. Simon after the painting by John Opie.

This original engraving is a 'First Edition Impression'. 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. The text below the image of this first edition impression reads; "Shakspeare. Winter's Tale. Act II, Scene III. Publish'd June 4th. 1793. by John & Josiah Boydell, at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall, & No. 90. Cheapside, London. Engraved by J. P. Simon. Painted by J. Opie.

Leo. It shall be possible: Swear by this sword.
Thou wit perform my bidding.
Ant. I will. my lord.
Leo. Mark, and perform it; see'st thou for the fail
Of any point in't shall not only be
Death to thyself, but be thy lew'd-tongu'd wife:
Whom for this time, we pardon."

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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