Set of Four George III Aquatints from the Boydell Shakespeare Plays
showing four scenes from different plays; in contemporary gilt-wood frames
Height 40.5 cm (16 inches) framed
Width 47 cm (18.5 inches) framed
English. late 18th century
The Boydell Shakespeare Gallery was a collection of paintings of scenes from Shakespeare commissioned by the printer and engraver John Boydell – it had three parts – an illustrated edition of the plays, a folio of prints from the plays, and a public gallery where the original paintings could be viewed. The idea was conceived at a dinner in November 1786, and the public gallery opened in 1788; the gallery was closed and the paintings dispersed in 1805
