Richard Earlom after Frans Snyders.

A Herb Market in The Gallery at Houghton.

22½ x 16 inches

Mezzotint engraving by Richard Earlom after Frans Snyders, published by John Boydell in London in 1779.

'The Herb Market' joins the Fruit, Vegetable, Game and Fish Markets in a series of meticulous mezzotint impressions of Snyder's paintings at Houghton in Norfolk and a random Poultry Market after de Vos. It is a rare image when a pile of old cabbages and gourds can upstage the attendant ladies but in this image the produce wins hands down! Never has a cauliflower looked more tempting or onions more beguiling!

Richard Earlom was born in London in 1743 and became a pupil of Cipriani soon devoting his time and energy to mezzotint engraving, at which he excelled. From 1765 onwards he worked for the publisher, John Boydell and it was during this period that he produced many of his best prints including the plates for the Houghton Gallery. He died in Clerkenwell in 1822. Most mezzotint engravers at the time concentrated on portraits after contemporary artists but Earlom chose to reproduce the work of older masters. Prints such as this were meticulous in their preparation, expensive to produce and highly sought after by the upper echelons of society.

£1250