London, Blackfriars Bridge – Joseph Schütz after Friedrich Ferdinand Runk, c. 1811
€3.650
LONDON WITH BLACKFRIARS BRIDGE AND ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, C. 1811
“Vue de la Ville de Londres” [View of the City of London], etching and aquatint by Joseph Schütz after Friedrich Ferdinand Runk, published in Vienna by Artaria & Comp., c. 1811. Original hand colouring. Size: approx. 45 × 69 cm.
Impressive view of London at the beginning of the industrial age. We look from the south bank of the Thames, with Blackfriars Bridge sweeping diagonally into the composition and the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral forming the dominant landmark on the skyline. The bridge shown here is the first Blackfriars Bridge, designed by the Scottish architect and engineer Robert Mylne, constructed between 1760 and 1769 and replaced by the present bridge in 1869.
The composition draws substantially on the large city view View of London, Taken from Albion Place, Blackfryars Bridge, produced by Joseph Constantine Stadler in 1802. The Vienna edition by Schütz and Runk is slightly smaller and differs from the earlier print in a number of details.
Particularly appealing is the lively staffage, which provides a vivid impression of traffic in London at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The bridge is crowded with pedestrians, horsemen, soldiers and a variety of carriages and carts. Especially striking is the heavily laden wagon carrying long tree trunks across the bridge. The Thames itself is equally busy: sailing vessels, barges and small rowing boats move between the bridge piers and along the quays. The bustle of traffic on the bridge and river forms an attractive contrast with the clear, almost serene city skyline beyond.
Friedrich Ferdinand Runk (1764–1834) was a German-Austrian landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher. He studied at the Vienna Academy and became particularly known for his gouaches and topographical landscapes. He worked for, among others, the princely houses of Schwarzenberg and Liechtenstein, and numerous prints were published after his drawings and watercolours.
Price: Euro 3.650,- (incl. frame)
