Arthur Dobbs (1689-1765)
ENGRAVER: James MacArdell (1729-1765) was considered one of the best of the mezzotintists. He was born in Dublin, Ireland and went to London where he worked for Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Hudson and others. He also engraved after Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Murillo. By 1765 he had produced about 200 plates overall. He was only 37 at the time of his death.
PAINTER: The print is after a painting by William Hoare that hangs at Castle Dobbs, Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. Hoare was a portrait painter in oil and crayons. Born in 1707, he was accepted in the Royal Academy in 1769. He studied in Rome and settled in Bath.
RELATED: For more about Dobbs and the map of North Carolina in his hand see: Mike McNamara, “A New and Correct Map of the Province of North Carolina: The Discovery of a 1737 North Carolina Manuscript Map”, http://www.mesdajournal.org/2012/correct-map-province-north-carolina/
DESCRIPTION: Mezzotint engraving- 3/4 length portrait of man wearing velvet coat with wide cuffs, matching waistcoat, white shirt with sleeve ruffles, and white wig. He holds a map of North Carolina in his left hand, his right elbow rests on a table. In the background are: left, a globe and an ornate table with carved leg and right, a column and a vista showing the sea and a sailing ship.
