Richard Earlom stands as a pivotal figure in the history of British art, particularly renowned for his exceptional skill as an engraver during the latter half of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Born in London in 1743, Earlom's life spanned a period of significant growth and transformation in the British art world. He emerged as one of the foremost practitioners of mezzotint, a complex and demanding engraving technique perfectly suited for reproducing the tonal subtleties of paintings. His work not only demonstrated technical brilliance but also played a crucial role in disseminating knowledge of Old Master paintings and contemporary British art to a wider audience.
Earlom's legacy is intrinsically linked to his mastery of mezzotint and etching, often used in combination, allowing him to translate the colours, textures, and atmospheric effects of paintings into the monochromatic medium of print. His most celebrated achievement, the Liber Veritatis series after Claude Lorrain, remains a landmark in reproductive printmaking. However, his oeuvre extends far beyond this single project, encompassing reproductions of works by a diverse range of artists, from Dutch Golden Age masters to his own British contemporaries, solidifying his reputation as a versatile and highly accomplished artist.
The Formative Years: Apprenticeship and Early Influences
Richard Earlom was born in the parish of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, London, in 1743. His father held the position of vestry clerk for the parish, suggesting a respectable middle-class background. Early accounts suggest that Earlom's artistic inclinations manifested at a young age, purportedly sparked by admiration for the decorative paintings adorning the Lord Mayor of London's state coach. These paintings were the work of Giovanni Battista Cipriani (1727-1785), a highly regarded Italian painter and etcher who had settled in London and become a founding member of the Royal Academy.
Recognizing his son's burgeoning talent, Earlom's father, according to anecdote, was persuaded to seek an apprenticeship for Richard under Cipriani himself around 1765. This was a significant step, placing the young Earlom under the tutelage of a master known for his elegant draughtsmanship and graceful, neoclassical style, heavily influenced by artists like Correggio and Parmigianino. Cipriani's instruction would have provided Earlom with a strong foundation in drawing, composition, and the prevailing artistic tastes of the era, skills that would prove invaluable in his later career as an engraver interpreting the works of others.
While studying with Cipriani, Earlom would have been immersed in London's vibrant artistic community. Cipriani was well-connected, and his studio would have been a hub of activity. This environment likely exposed Earlom to various artistic trends and techniques, further shaping his development. Although primarily known later for his printmaking, this early training under a painter instilled in him a deep understanding of pictorial effects, particularly the handling of light, shadow, and form, which he would later translate so effectively into mezzotint.
Entering the London Print World: Boydell and Opportunity
By the mid-1760s, Richard Earlom began to establish himself independently. This period coincided with a burgeoning market for prints in London. Engravings and mezzotints were becoming increasingly popular, serving as a primary means for disseminating images of famous paintings, portraits of notable figures, and scenes of contemporary life. At the heart of this flourishing trade was the entrepreneurial figure of John Boydell (1720-1804).
Boydell was not merely a printseller but a visionary publisher who commissioned vast numbers of engravings, significantly elevating the status and quality of British printmaking. He recognized the commercial potential of high-quality reproductive prints and employed many of the finest engravers of the day. Earlom came to Boydell's attention, initially perhaps working as an assistant or on smaller commissions, before being entrusted with more significant projects.
The relationship with Boydell proved instrumental in launching Earlom's career. Boydell's ambition and resources provided Earlom with unparalleled opportunities to work from major artworks and gain widespread recognition. This partnership was mutually beneficial: Boydell gained a highly skilled engraver capable of tackling complex projects, while Earlom secured prestigious commissions that showcased his exceptional talent. It was under Boydell's patronage that Earlom would undertake some of his most famous and demanding works, cementing his reputation within the competitive London art scene.
The Art and Craft of Mezzotint
To fully appreciate Richard Earlom's contribution, it is essential to understand the technique he mastered: mezzotint. Known in French as la manière noire ("the dark manner"), mezzotint is an intaglio printmaking process unique in its approach. Unlike etching or line engraving, where the artist creates lines or dots into a smooth plate to hold ink, mezzotint works from dark to light. The process begins by systematically roughening the entire surface of a copper plate with a tool called a "rocker," creating a dense network of tiny pits that will hold ink and print as a deep, velvety black.
The artist then creates the image by selectively scraping and burnishing areas of this roughened surface. Where the plate is scraped smooth, it holds less ink and prints lighter; areas left fully rocked remain dark. This allows for the creation of subtle gradations of tone, from the richest blacks through a full range of mid-tones to brilliant highlights. The resulting prints are characterized by their tonal richness, depth, and soft, velvety textures, making mezzotint particularly effective for reproducing the chiaroscuro and painterly qualities of oil paintings.
Earlom possessed an extraordinary command of this demanding technique. He could manipulate the rocked plate with incredible precision, achieving nuanced tonal transitions that captured the luminosity and atmosphere of the original artworks. Furthermore, he often combined mezzotint with etching. Etched lines could be added to the plate before or after the mezzotint ground was laid, allowing Earlom to define forms, add sharp details, or render specific textures that might be difficult to achieve with scraping and burnishing alone. This hybrid approach gave his prints both tonal depth and linear clarity, showcasing his technical versatility. His skill surpassed many contemporaries, including notable mezzotinters like Valentine Green or James McArdell, placing him at the pinnacle of the craft.
The Magnum Opus: Liber Veritatis – Translating Claude Lorrain
Undoubtedly, Richard Earlom's most famous and ambitious project was the Liber Veritatis ("Book of Truth"), a series of prints reproducing drawings by the celebrated French Baroque landscape painter Claude Lorrain (1600-1682). Claude, active primarily in Rome, was renowned for his idealized landscapes bathed in atmospheric light. As a record of his authentic paintings and to guard against forgeries, Claude meticulously compiled drawings of his finished works in bound volumes, collectively known as the Liber Veritatis. By the 18th century, the most significant volume, containing nearly 200 drawings, was in the collection of the Duke of Devonshire.
John Boydell conceived the ambitious plan to publish engravings of these drawings, recognizing the immense prestige associated with Claude Lorrain, whose work profoundly influenced British landscape aesthetics. He entrusted this monumental task to Richard Earlom. Between 1774 and 1777, Boydell published Earlom's prints in two volumes, eventually encompassing 200 plates. A third volume, reproducing other Claude drawings from various collections, was published later by Boydell's successors.
Earlom's challenge was immense: he had to translate Claude's delicate wash drawings – executed primarily in brown ink and wash, sometimes heightened with white – into the medium of print. He ingeniously combined etching to replicate Claude's pen lines and mezzotint to capture the subtle tonal gradations of the washes. The resulting prints are masterpieces of reproductive engraving, remarkably faithful to the spirit and atmospheric quality of Claude's originals. They successfully convey the luminosity, depth, and poetic sensibility that made Claude's landscapes so admired.
The publication of Earlom's Liber Veritatis was a major event in the art world. It made Claude's compositions widely accessible, profoundly influencing generations of British artists, most notably J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), who directly responded with his own Liber Studiorum, and John Constable (1776-1837), who deeply admired Claude's handling of light and atmosphere. Earlom's series remains a testament to his skill and a vital document in the appreciation of Claude Lorrain.
Echoes of the Masters: Reproductive Engraving Across Genres
While the Liber Veritatis stands as a pinnacle, Earlom's talents were applied to reproducing a wide array of artworks, demonstrating his versatility and deep understanding of different artistic styles. His reproductive engravings helped to popularize the works of numerous Old Masters and contemporary painters among the British public.
He tackled the complex chiaroscuro of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), translating the Dutch master's dramatic interplay of light and shadow into the tonal language of mezzotint. The dynamic compositions and rich textures of Flemish Baroque painters like Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) also featured among his subjects, requiring a different sensibility to capture their energy and painterly bravura. He also engraved works after Italian masters such as the classical landscapist Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665, though French, worked primarily in Rome) and the Bolognese Baroque painter Guercino (1591-1666), adapting his technique to suit their distinct styles.
Earlom also excelled in reproducing still life paintings, particularly the intricate flower pieces of the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan van Huysum (1682-1749). His prints after Van Huysum, notably those created for the Houghton Gallery publication (documenting the collection at Houghton Hall before its sale to Catherine the Great), are marvels of detail. They capture the delicate textures of petals, the gleam of dew drops, and the complex arrangements that characterized Van Huysum's work, showcasing Earlom's meticulous control over the mezzotint process. These prints required immense patience and precision, rivaling the detail found in works by renowned flower painters like Rachel Ruysch.
Engaging with Contemporaries: Reynolds, Zoffany, and the British School
Beyond the Old Masters, Earlom played a significant role in disseminating the work of his British contemporaries. He produced mezzotints after portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), the first president of the Royal Academy and the leading portraitist of the era. Translating Reynolds's fluid brushwork and psychological depth into print required a sensitive handling of tone and texture, which Earlom adeptly provided.
One of Earlom's most fascinating prints is The Academicians of the Royal Academy (1773), based on a painting by Johann Zoffany (1733-1810). Zoffany's group portrait depicted the founding members of the Royal Academy gathered in the life drawing room, surrounded by casts of classical sculptures. Earlom's large-scale mezzotint brilliantly captured the complex composition, the individual likenesses of the artists (including Reynolds, Benjamin West, and Zoffany himself), and the interplay of light within the studio setting. Notably, the two female founding members, Angelica Kauffman and Mary Moser, were represented only as portraits on the wall, reflecting the societal constraints of the time regarding women's participation in life drawing classes. This print remains an invaluable historical document of the early Royal Academy.
He also engraved genre scenes and other subjects. His print The Forge (1773), whether an original composition or after another artist (perhaps inspired by painters like Joseph Wright of Derby who famously depicted industrial scenes), demonstrates his ability to handle dramatic lighting effects and scenes of everyday labour. Similarly, his market scenes, such as A Fruit Market and A Game Market, show his skill in rendering complex arrangements of objects and figures, possibly drawing inspiration from Flemish artists like Frans Snyders but executed with his characteristic tonal richness.
The Boydell Partnership and the London Art Market
The collaboration between Richard Earlom and John Boydell exemplifies the dynamics of the London art market in the late 18th century. Boydell was a driving force, commissioning ambitious projects like the Liber Veritatis and the Houghton Gallery series, which aimed to showcase both great art collections and the prowess of British engravers. He understood the public appetite for prints and invested heavily in producing high-quality works.
Earlom was one of Boydell's most trusted engravers, capable of delivering prints that met the publisher's exacting standards. This partnership provided Earlom with financial stability and access to prestigious source materials. Boydell's extensive distribution network ensured that Earlom's prints reached a wide audience, both in Britain and on the continent, enhancing his international reputation.
Boydell's enterprise involved numerous other talented artists and engravers. Earlom worked alongside figures like the stipple engraver Francesco Bartolozzi (a fellow student under Cipriani) and other mezzotinters like Valentine Green. This competitive yet collaborative environment spurred innovation and raised the overall quality of British printmaking. Boydell's commercial acumen, combined with the artistic talents of engravers like Earlom, transformed London into a major centre for print production and export.
Artistic Signature: Style and Technique Revisited
Richard Earlom's artistic signature lies in his consummate mastery of mezzotint, often enhanced by etching. His prints are characterized by their deep, velvety blacks, a full and subtle range of grey tones, and carefully managed highlights. He achieved a remarkable richness and depth, effectively suggesting colour and texture through monochromatic means. His ability to control the mezzotint ground allowed him to replicate the soft transitions of wash drawings (as in the Liber Veritatis) or the more robust modelling of oil paintings.
His use of etched lines provided definition and clarity where needed, preventing the forms from dissolving entirely into tone, a potential pitfall of pure mezzotint. This combination resulted in prints that were both tonally luxurious and structurally sound. While primarily a reproductive engraver, his work involved significant interpretation. Translating a work from one medium to another always requires artistic judgment, and Earlom's prints possess a distinct character marked by their technical refinement and sensitivity to the original source.
Compared to line engraving, which emphasizes clarity of form, or etching, which often showcases the artist's linear freedom, Earlom's mezzotints prioritize tonal harmony and atmospheric effect. His work represents the peak of mezzotint's potential for reproducing painterly qualities, making him a key figure in the history of reproductive printmaking.
Later Life, Legacy, and Enduring Influence
Richard Earlom continued to work prolifically into the early 19th century. He produced engravings after various artists and maintained his high standards of craftsmanship. He died in Clerkenwell, London, on October 9, 1822, at the age of 79, leaving behind a substantial body of work that had significantly shaped the landscape of British printmaking.
His legacy is multifaceted. Firstly, he perfected the art of mezzotint combined with etching, creating prints of unparalleled tonal beauty and technical sophistication. Secondly, through his reproductive engravings, particularly the Liber Veritatis, he made the work of influential artists like Claude Lorrain accessible to a much wider audience, profoundly impacting the development of British landscape painting. Artists like Turner and Constable learned much about composition and light effects from studying Claude, often through the lens of Earlom's prints.
Thirdly, his work contributed significantly to the prestige of the British school of engraving, demonstrating that British printmakers could rival their continental counterparts. His prints were collected avidly in his lifetime and continue to be sought after by collectors and institutions today. Major museums worldwide, including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., and the National Galleries of Scotland, hold significant collections of his work.
Conclusion: An Enduring Master of Tone
Richard Earlom occupies a crucial place in the annals of British art history. As arguably the most accomplished mezzotint engraver of his generation, he harnessed the unique capabilities of the medium to translate the beauty and complexity of paintings and drawings into print. His technical virtuosity, particularly evident in the landmark Liber Veritatis series after Claude Lorrain, set a standard for reproductive engraving. By disseminating images of works by masters like Claude, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Huysum, and Reynolds, he enriched the visual culture of his time and provided invaluable resources for subsequent generations of artists. His prints, characterized by their rich tonality, meticulous detail, and atmospheric depth, remain compelling works of art in their own right, securing Richard Earlom's reputation as a true master of the "dark manner."
