Opera
John Pine
(English, 1690–1756)
1733–37
Place of PublicationLondon, England
Medium/TechniqueIllustrated book, entirely engraved
DimensionsOverall (vol. 1): 25.2 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm (9 15/16 x 6 x 1 1/4 in.)
Credit LineWilliam A. Sargent Collection—Bequest of William A. Sargent
Accession number37.1342.1
On View
Not on viewClassificationsIllustrated books
Collections
London: John Pine, 1733-1737
Most books are printed from movable type, which means that each letter is made of a separate piece of metal. But this book features pages where everything—words and images—were engraved together on a copper plate. It’s an expensive and time-consuming way of producing a book, but it allowed the artist to mix Horace’s ancient poems with all sorts of appropriately classical decorations, derived from ancient coins, inscriptions, and gems.
ProvenanceAcquired in 1919 by William A. Sargent, Boston (1858-1936), by whom bequeathed to MFA, November 17, 1937.