Antiquarian Regency period Shakespearan engraving circa 1791 depicting Act 3, Scene 1 of Much Ado About Nothing

A rare and fantastic Regency period Shakespearan engraving circa 1791 depicting Act 3, Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s famous comedy Much Ado About Nothing. Here we see Hero, Ursula and Beatrice, the play’s leading female characters in conversation.

The inscription indicates that this is Act 3, Scene 1, the artists W Peters and James Heath, and that this was published by Boydell for the Shakespeare Gallery.

After Rev. William Peters and engraved by James Heath, both artists of note. Per a biography on Heath in the National Portrait Gallery of London, “In 1791 Heath was elected an associate of the Royal Academy, and in 1794 he was appointed historical engraver to George III, a title that he held under different monarchs until his retirement.”

An American reissue of this exact engraving circa 1852 can be seen in The Metropolitan Museum of Art here: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/707909.

This engraving was made for Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery, and its opening plans including a folio of Shakespeare’s works with engravings by some of the best artists of the Regency Period. For a brief history of the Shakespeare Gallery, see another engraving we have listed with provenance from Thomas Agnew. 

This engraving is in a later 20th century frame and is ready for display. The verso on the back indicates its provenance from The Pickwick Gallery which was based in Stanford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace, in the 1990s until its closure in 2016.

Price marked at $350 AUD.

Framed measurements: 45 by 40 cm.

Very good antique condition, some wear, light foxing as pictured.