Crossing the Line. (dressing up on crossing the Equator), from 'A Picturesque Journey to India, by the Way of China', 1810. Drawn and Engraved by William Daniell.

[MARITIME] - Daniell, William (Illustrated Aquatint by):

Verlag: London: Longman Hurst Rees & Orme, 1810

Beschreibung

A fine original aquatint and etching on paper illustrating Crossing the Line originally published in ' A Picturesque Voyage to India by the Way of China' by Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, in 1810. It records the journey from England, with scenes taken at Madeira, the Cape of Good Hope, Java, Macao, Canton, the Straits of Malacca, and Calcutta. The work also contains images of Malays and Chinese. Plate size approx. 7.5 " x 9.5" (19cm x 25cm) with margins. A generally VG bright impression with a few light marks. The line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator. The tradition may have originated with ceremonies when passing headlands, and become a "folly" sanctioned as a boost to morale, or have been created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long rough times at sea. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are common in the navy and are also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. William Daniell RA (1769 1837) was an English landscape and marine painter, and printmaker, notable for his work in aquatint. He travelled extensively in India in the company of his uncle Thomas Daniell, with whom he collaborated on one of the finest illustrated works of the period Oriental Scenery. He later travelled around the coastline of Britain to paint watercolours for the equally ambitious book A Voyage Round Great Britain. His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy and the British Institution and he became a Royal Academician in 1822. Originally issued in ten parts, "the aquatints of India by Thomas and William Daniell have been continuously popular ever since their publication between 1795 and 1810… A Picturesque Voyage consisted of 50 aquatints depicting the places visited by the artists on their various journeys to and from China and to India. Five views show their approach to Calcutta and the city itself. The publication of these aquatints had been a mammoth task. The two artists prepared almost all the plates themselves. [William Daniell came to be regarded as] one of the greatest aquatinters of the 19th century… The Daniells Indian aquatints soon made an impact on the British public and on British culture at a number of different levels" (Early Views of India, 223-225). "One of a series of books that are surely among the most beautiful things ever made" (IPEX Exhibition of English Colour Plate Books). Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 3848

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Crossing the Line. (dressing up on crossing ...

Verlag: London: Longman Hurst Rees & Orme

Erscheinungsdatum: 1810

Einband: No Binding

Zustand: Very Good

Auflage: 1st Edition