JACOB BATES The famous English Horse Rider

Date1766

Engraver Georg Peter Nusbiegel

MediumLine engraving and etching on laid paper

DimensionsOverall: 15 1/8 × 19 1/8in. (38.4 × 48.5cm)
Other (Plate): 14 1/2 × 18 1/2in. (36.8 × 47cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1941-171

DescriptionLower cartouche reads: "JACOB BATES / The famous English Horse Rider./ Der beriihmte Englische Bereiter Jacob Bates. / Jeaque Bates Fameux Piqueur Anglois"
Lower margin reads: "GR Nusbiegel, adviv. del et sculpsit Norbi, 1766."Label TextJacob Bates was a talented rider who performed dramatic feats of horsemanship. After taking his daring equestrian act through Europe, Bates (d. 1793) arrived in the American colonies where he entertained crowds in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Newport between 1772 and 1774. He married a wealthy heiress in Philadelphia where he established himself as a horse breeder, trainer, and riding instructor. This print may have been a souvenir of his performances.   Mark(s)Norib. 1766.ProvenanceBefore 1941, the Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1941-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).