"Two heads emerge from the highly-polished boots of their respective owners, which face each other. They are finished portraits of Skeffington and Montagu Mathew, inseparables, see BMSat 9699. Skeffington's boot (left) is a tasselled Hessian; its pointed toe rests on the foot of Mathew's spurred top-boot. Both wear round hats of slightly differing shapes. Skeffington's dark hair is short, falling over his forehead; he has a large whisker. Mathew's fair hair is long and powdered, and tied by a ribbon at the tips; he has a small whisker. Round the two boots are grouped blacking materials. A large open book (left) is 'Essay on Blacking'; by it are bottles labelled 'Mr Broomhills Recipe' and 'The Princes Recipe', and a mixing-pot. Two volumes (right) are 'Chemistry'; on them are bottles labelled 'Pine Apple' and 'Spirit of Salt'. There are also two brushes, a polishing pad, a cake of 'Holdsworth's' blacking, and a broken bottle of 'Royal Blacking'."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Mounted to 56 x 37 cm., and Collector's annotations on mount.
Publisher:
Publish'd March 10th, 1801, by H. Humphrey, 27 St. James's Street
Subject (Name):
Skeffington, Lumley St. George, Sir, 1771-1850 and Mathew, Montague James, 1773-1819
