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🖼️ About This Work
This 1860 steel engraving, titled A Country Blacksmith, represents a collaboration across generations between two major figures in British art: Joseph Mallord William Turner, whose original painting dates to 1807, and Charles William Sharpe, the Victorian engraver who translated Turner’s composition into print more than fifty years later. The result is a richly detailed, historically significant work that preserves both the atmosphere of Turner’s early period and the technical precision of nineteenth‑century engraving.

🎨 Turner’s Original Composition
Turner’s painting belongs to the formative years of his career, when he explored scenes of everyday labor and the emotional weight of light and shadow. In A Country Blacksmith, the forge becomes the central source of illumination, casting warm light across the figures, tools, and timbered structure. The composition captures a moment of communal life: the blacksmith at work, the onlookers gathered around the doorway, and the subtle interplay between interior glow and exterior daylight. Even in this early subject matter, Turner’s sensitivity to atmosphere, narrative, and human presence is unmistakable.

🪶 About the Engraver
Charles William Sharpe (1818–1899) was one of the most respected reproductive engravers of the Victorian era. Before photography, engravers like Sharpe played a crucial role in preserving and disseminating important artworks. His engravings were valued for their clarity, tonal control, and ability to translate complex paintings into prints that could reach a wider audience. Sharpe’s interpretation of Turner’s composition maintains the architectural textures, figure groupings, and dramatic lighting that define the original work.

📚 Documentation & Provenance
This engraving is documented in Butlin & Joll 68, the authoritative Turner catalogue raisonné, confirming its place within the recorded history of Turner’s early compositions. A Certificate of Authenticity from KCM Galleries (Cape Coral, Florida) accompanies the piece and provides additional documentation of its provenance.

🖼️ Framing
The engraving is presented in a new wood frame with a sealed dust cover, offering a clean, ready‑to‑display presentation that complements the work without overwhelming it.

📏 Dimensions
• Framed size: 20 × 17 inches
• Image size: 10 × 7.25 inches

✨ Condition
The engraving is in excellent antique condition with strong detail and a clean impression. The frame is new and professionally assembled. Please review all photographs for a complete understanding of condition.

🏛️ Significance
A Country Blacksmith stands at the intersection of two important artistic traditions: Turner’s early exploration of light, labor, and narrative, and Sharpe’s Victorian mastery of reproductive engraving. Together, they create a work that reflects both the artistic values of the early nineteenth century and the technical achievements of the mid‑Victorian printmaking tradition. This engraving offers collectors a meaningful connection to Turner’s development as an artist and to the broader history of British art.

📦 Shipping
Your artwork will be carefully packed and shipped with protective materials to ensure safe delivery.