Earth
Date1760
After work by
Philippe Mercier
(1689 - 1760)
Engraver
Richard Houston (1721-1775)
Publisher
Robert Sayer (1725-1794)
OriginEngland, London
MediumHand-colored mezzotint engraving
DimensionsOther: 13 5/8 × 9 3/4in. (34.6 × 24.8cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1952-376,4
DescriptionLower margin reads: "(P)h Mercier pinx.t/ Publishd according to Act of Parliament, October 1st 1760/ Rich.d Houston fecit/ As the sweet Flower from Earth delightfull springs, / And rivals in it's Pomp the Pride of Kings,- / So the bright Maid not deck'd with pride or Birth, / An Angel seems and makes a Heaven of Earth. / London Printed for Rob.t Sayer, opposite Fetter Lane Fleet Street"Label TextThis print is part of a set representing the elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth. This print, "Earth,” features a fashionably dressed young woman gardening. Sets of prints depicting young women as allegorical representations of the seasons, months of the year, times of day, and elements were popular in the eighteenth-century. The rest of the set: Fire, 1952-376,1; Air 1952-376,2; and Water 1952-376, 3.
Verse at lower margin reads:
As the sweet Flower from Earth delightfull springs,
And rivals in it's Pomp the Pride of Kings,-
So the bright Maid not deck'd with pride or Birth,
An Angel seems and makes a Heaven of Earth.
1756
1760
ca. 1765
1760
1760
1760
April 21, 1795
1758
ca. 1849
May 1, 1769