(Irish, 1710–1762)

Ipse, a self portrait from the series, Life-sized Heads, 1760, signed lower left in image ".F." , mezzotint on heavy laid paper, 19-1/4 x 13-3/4 in.; unframed

NOte: Thomas Frye was one of the most significant artists working in mezzotint engraving in the eighteenth-century. He was born near Dublin in 1710, and moved to England at age twenty to work as a painter and engraver. He gained notoriety as the manager at the Bow Porcelain Factory, where he helped develop a recipe for bone china.  After resigning his position at Bow, he returned to the medium of mezzotint. In 1760s, he designed, engraved, and published a series of life-sized mezzotint portraits, of which this self-portrait is one. Frye’s mastery of this this engraving process is displayed through his ability to achieve dramatic variation in tone, characterized by velvety depths and luminous highlights, that render his subjects both sensitive and shockingly life-like. 

 

For more see, Martha Tedeschi, “Out of Darkness: The Irish Mezzotint Comes of Age” in Barnard, Toby Christopher, and William M. Laffan. Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design, 1690-1840 (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2015), 153-160.

 

, Provenance: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Proceeds to Benefit the Acquisitions Fund abrasions with restoration attempt top left in hair and background, trimmed, small edge tear, pencil inscriptions verso