Earth

Date1760

After work by Philippe Mercier 1689 - 1760

Engraver Richard Houston (1721-1775)

Publisher Robert Sayer (1725-1794)

OriginEngland, London

MediumHand-colored mezzotint engraving

DimensionsOther: 13 5/8 × 9 3/4in. (34.6 × 24.8cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1952-376,4

DescriptionLower margin reads: "(P)h Mercier pinx.t/ Publishd according to Act of Parliament, October 1st 1760/ Rich.d Houston fecit/ As the sweet Flower from Earth delightfull springs, / And rivals in it's Pomp the Pride of Kings,- / So the bright Maid not deck'd with pride or Birth, / An Angel seems and makes a Heaven of Earth. / London Printed for Rob.t Sayer, opposite Fetter Lane Fleet Street"Label TextThis print is part of a set representing the elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth. This print, "Earth,” features a fashionably dressed young woman gardening. Sets of prints depicting young women as allegorical representations of the seasons, months of the year, times of day, and elements were popular in the eighteenth-century. The rest of the set: Fire, 1952-376,1; Air 1952-376,2; and Water 1952-376, 3.

Verse at lower margin reads:
As the sweet Flower from Earth delightfull springs,
And rivals in it's Pomp the Pride of Kings,-
So the bright Maid not deck'd with pride or Birth,
An Angel seems and makes a Heaven of Earth.ProvenanceBefore 1952, the Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1952-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).