"Rizpah" Mezzotint (1812) From Liber Studiorum by Joseph Mallord William Turner Ra

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This is an original 1812 impression of Rizpah, a rare and museum-quality print from J.M.W. Turner's Liber Studiorum (Latin for … Read more This is an original 1812 impression of Rizpah, a rare and museum-quality print from J.M.W. Turner's Liber Studiorum (Latin for Book of Studies), a series of seventy landscape prints plus a frontispiece published between 1807 and 1819. This particular composition, Rizpah, 2nd Book of Samuel, Chapter 21 (Liber Studiorum, Part IX, Plate 46), falls under Turner's "Historical Landscape" category, as marked by the letter "H" in the upper margin. The scene illustrates a haunting passage from the Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 21, in which Rizpah, concubine of King Saul, mourns her sons after their execution by the Gibeonites. Left unburied, their bodies are exposed to the elements, and Rizpah keeps a solemn vigil, using a torch to protect them from wild beasts. This etching and mezzotint was designed and etched by J.M.W. Turner and engraved by Robert Dunkarton, published on April 23, 1812, by Turner at Queen Anne Street West, London.
The print measures 8 1/2 × 11 1/2 inches (plate) and 10 1/4 × 13 inches (sheet), with the frame measuring 14.5 × 17.5 inches. It remains in very good condition, with some light foxing and age-appropriate wear, mounted with a gold-accented mat in a period style,
Original impressions of Rizpah are held in major museum collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Tate, The British Museum, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and The Yale Center for British Art. The catalogue raisonné reference for this print is Finberg 46 iv/iv; Rawlinson 46 iv/iv, indicating it is from the fourth and final state. This is a rare and historically significant mezzotint, exemplifying Turner's ability to merge landscape with profound human emotion, making it a sought-after piece for collectors and scholars alike See less