English: Original stipple engraving of "The life of Milton: in three parts. To which are added, Conjectures on the origin of Paradise lost: with an appendix. By William Hayley, Esq." Vol.1. By Hayley, William (1745-1820).

Richard Earlom's original stipple engraving, Paradise Lost, Eve in the Garden of Eden is based upon a design created by Richard Westall. Such masterworks as Paradise Lost, Samson Agonistes and Comus place John Milton (British, 1608 - 1674) as England's greatest poet. Paradise Lost was first published in 1667. It is Milton's great epic poem, composed in twelve books. This original stipple engraving illustrates the Eighth Book. In the First Book Satan revolts and is driven from Heaven with his legions. He establishes his palace in Hell. In Book Two Satan and his angels debate as to whether to wage another battle against Heaven but instead decide to examine a newly created world (Eden) with its new creatures. God's greatest creations of first Adam and then Eve take place in the Garden of Eden several book's later. This brilliant stipple engraving illustrates the important lines of Book Eight when Adam and most particularly Eve begin to question God's unwillingness to let them acquire knowledge. Despite his questions, Adam has expressed his unswerving loyalty to God. John Milton then writes: to wage another battle against Heaven but instead decide to examine a newly created world (Eden) with its new creatures. God's greatest creations of first Adam and then Eve take place in the Garden of Eden several book's later. This brilliant stipple engraving created by Richard Earlom illustrates the opening lines of Book Five when Adam awakens the newly created Eve.

Paradise Lost: Eve in the Garden of Eden: is an original 'First Edition Impression' dated 1795. It was engraved by Richard Earlom & designed created by the British artist, Richard Westall for John & Josiah Boydell's set entitled, "The Poetical Works of John Milton".

Title: Paradise Lost: Eve in the Garden of Eden Engraver: Earlom, Richard (London, 1743 - 1822) Designer: Westall, Richard (Hertford, 1765 - London, 1836) Date: 1795 Medium: Original Stipple Engraving Publisher: John Boydell, London.

Note: Richard Earlom: One of the greatest eighteenth century mezzotint and stipple engravers, Richard Earlom was apprenticed to the London based engraver, Cipriani, in his youth. He began work for John Boydell in 1774, taking five years to create the two hundred plates which comprise the Liber Veritas set. These engravings showed the world the remarkable effects a combination of mezzotint and etching could produce on landscape art and gained for both Earlom and Boydell a long lasting fame. In fact, in the following century, these Earlom mezzotints directly influenced the landscape art of Turner. During the following years Earlom engraved outstanding works both after the designs of his contemporaries and after the old masters. Boydell continued to commission his talents for some of the most famous plates in both The Houghton Gallery and The Shakespeare Gallery. For The Poetical Works of John Milton, Earlom contributed two of the most famous engravings from the set, both dealing with the story of Adam and Eve. As one can easily see in this original engraving he was without equal in capturing the rich and subtle tonal qualities of the demanding stipple medium. Today, Earlom is most appreciated for his technical virtuosity and mastery, and his more famous engravings consistently fetch over two thousand Pounds at auction. Richard Westall: After attending the Royal Academy schools in London (1785), Richard Westall devoted himself to history and landscape subjects. He was an early practitioner of the watercolour medium and many publishers of illustrated books soon sought his designs for publication of illustrated editions of Gray, Moore, Crabbe and other poets of the day. During the 1790s he was commissioned by Boydell to work upon both the Milton and Shakespeare sets. Richard Westall was elected an Associate of the prestigious Royal Academy in 1792 and a full Academician in 1794. In the 1820s he was appointed the drawing master to then Princess Victoria. John Boydell (Shropshire, 1719 - London, 1804) is easily one of England's most remarkable 18th century personalities. Born in poverty, he began his career as an at best mediocre engraver of small book plates. At this time England was at a very low ebb as a serious centre for the visual arts (particularly engraving) and Boydell sought to eradicate this situation by beginning a second career as a publisher of fine prints. Modest initial experiments in the 1760s led to a rapid expansion of his business and during the 1770s he published his striking series of mezzotint engravings, Liber Veritas, engraved by Richard Earlom after the drawings of Claude Lorrain. This ambitious undertaking put England back on the printmaking map and was a huge financial success for John Boydell. Boydell had now established London as a major centre for the arts and this once poor and struggling engraver/publisher was acknowledged for his efforts by being elected no less than Lord Mayor of London, in 1791. The same year marked the beginning of Boydell's most grandiose undertaking. His new publishing establishment in Pall Mall, 'The Shakespeare Gallery', began by commissioning the most esteemed painters and engravers in the country to create and design large and expensive engravings based upon the plays and life of William Shakespeare. By this time as well John Boydell's nephew, Josiah (1752-1817), had joined the firm. This monumental venture continued until Boydell's death thirteen years later. By that time, The Shakespeare Gallery had created and published one hundred and seventy engravings on a grand scale. Alas, the expenses for this vast project had been so large that England's foremost publisher of art ended his life the way he began, dying penniless. At this time England's other great literary giant, John Milton, was honoured by Boydell. The Poetical Works of John Milton was published in three parts in 1794, 1795 and 1797. Sparing no expense, Boydell commissioned George Romney to design a portrait plate and Richard Westall to design images illustrating each part of Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained as well as the more famous individual poems. The engravers included Richard Earlom, Thomas Kirk, J. P. Simon, Benjamin Smith, M. Haughton, Dutterau and John Ogborne. Unlike the Shakespeare engravings, the Milton prints were constructed almost solely in the stipple technique. Stippling reached its golden age in late eighteenth century England. The technique was promoted and taught by Francesco Bartolozzi (Venice, 1727 - London, 1815). Many of the above mentioned engravers were among his finest students. Briefly, stippling was a tonal method where the image was created not with solid lines but with a multitude of dots or flicks. Under a master's hand, stippling magnificently captured tonal values by contrasting areas of light and shade. Unfortunately it was most laborious and quickly became extinct with advances in aquatint engraving in the early nineteenth century. Yet to this day some of the most subtle and sensual engravings in the history of British art belong to the stipple engravers of the late eighteenth century.

This brilliant stipple engraving entitled, Paradise Lost, Eve in the Garden of Eden created by Richard Earlom illustrates the opening lines of Book Five when Adam awakens the newly created Eve, it reads;

"So spake our sire, and by his countenance seem'd Entering on studious thoughts abstruse; which Eve Perceiving, where she sat retired in sight, With lowliness majestick from her seat, And grace that won who saw to wish her stay, Rose, and went forth among fruits and flowers,

To visit how they prosper'd, bud and bloom, Her nursery: they at her coming sprung, And touch'd by her fair tendence gladlier grew. Yet went she not, as not with such discourse Delighted, or not capable her ear Of what was high: such pleasure she reserved Adam relating, she sole auditress; ... "

Edition: As one can easily see, these stipple engravings for Boydell's The Poetical Works of John Milton are masterpieces of their kind. In both design and technique they easily surpass the larger Shakespeare prints one usually associates with John Boydell and his artists.

Source: The Poetical Works of John Milton