Reynolds, Joshua Plate 48. “Macbeth, Act IV, Scene i. Macbeth consulting the witches"

Joshua Reynolds.  Plate 48.  “Macbeth, Act IV, Scene i.  Macbeth consulting the witches.”  From The American Edition of Boydell’s Illustrations of Shakespeare, Restored to all the Pristine Beauty of the First Proofs. 

New York: S. Spooner, 106 Liberty St., 1852.  ca. 17 1/2 x 23 ½ (image).  Engraving by Robert Thew.  Very good condition.

These are fascinating artistic expressions of the then current gothic interpretation of Shakespeare’s works.  The gallery and the prints were a boon for British artists, giving them inspiration and publicity at the same time.  As almost all the paintings have since disappeared, the prints take on added interest as the surviving record of this fascinating episode in British art history.