University of Virginia Library

II. The Two States of the Engraved Portrait by William Marshall

William Marshall's engraving, used as a frontispiece in the first (1646), second (1648), and some copies of the third (1658) editions of Fragmenta Aurea, and also in some detached copies of The Last Remains of Sir John Suckling, 1659, shows Suckling turned to the right instead of to the left but in the same attitude and in general much as he appears in the great Van Dyck portrait now in the Frick Collection.[2] We have found two states of

this engraving, the later of which shows clear evidence of re-incising, notably in heavy lines around the leaves of the garland (especially pronounced to the right of the face), a bulge in the left sleeve, a short black line to the right of the tie in the garland that was not present in the earlier state, and thicker base-lines in the streamer bearing the inscription "Obijt anno Ætatis suæ 28." From our examination of originals and photocopies, we have identified the state of the engraving in copies of Fragmenta Aurea, 1646, as indicated in the following list. Earlier state: Clayton, CLU-C2-3, CSmH1, ICN, MB, MH1, MWelC, NN2, NNPM, Bodleian2, Osborn, Pforz1, TxU1-2, B.M.1, 3. Later state: CLU-C1, CSmH2, CtY2-5, DFo, DLC, IU, MH3, MiU, NcU, NjP, NN1, 3, Pforz2, TxU3-4.

The almost equal distribution of states between copies of the first edition — seventeen of the earlier, eighteen of the later — makes virtually certain that the plate was re-incised in the course of its printing, which in turn suggests a very large printing of the portrait and possibly, though not necessarily, an equally large printing of the edition for which the portrait was originally intended. A reproduction of the earlier state may be found in Greg's Bibliography, Vol. III, plate CXXXVII; The Ashley Library, Vol. VI, facing page 20; and Gosse and Garnett's Illustrated History of English Literature (1903), III, 25. The later state is reproduced in The Book Buyer, XIX (1900), 575.