{"product_id":"william-dickinson-18th-century-engraving-of-catherine-the-great-of-russia-1773","title":"William Dickinson 18th Century Engraving of Catherine the Great of Russia 1773","description":"\u003cfont rwr=\"1\" size=\"4\" style=\"font-family:Arial\"\u003e\u003cfont rwr=\"1\" size=\"4\" style=\"font-family:Arial\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"page_shop_15_3 body\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c0\" style=\"font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 18.66670036315918px; background-color: rgb(245, 240, 240);\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;\"\u003eBibelotslondon Ltd is a UK registered company based in London Bridge dealing in ephemera and curiosities from Britain and around the world. Our diverse inventory is carefully chosen and constantly evolving. We work very hard to offer the highest quality works at competitive prices. Our inventory is listed online, and we strive to keep our website completely up to date, so our customers can easily check availability. We believe in offering clients items that are unique and rare for aficionados of the antique and collector's world. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial;\"\u003eBibelot is a late nineteenth century word derived from the French word bel ‘beautiful’, meaning a small item of beauty, curiosity or interest.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"apple-converted-space\" style=\"font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 18.66670036315918px; background-color: rgb(245, 240, 240);\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c0\" style=\"font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 18.66670036315918px; background-color: rgb(245, 240, 240);\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial;\"\u003eThe word ephemera is derived from the sixteenth century Greek word ephmera meaning a printed or hand written paper not meant to be retained for a long period of time.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nFine contemporary engraving of Catherine the Great of Russia (1729 - \n1796), by the great 18th century engraver William Dickinson (1746 - \n1823), from an original painting belonging to Baron Dimsdale. Published \nJune 20th 1773 by Hooper of Ludgate Hill. Housed in a contemporary \nmahogany frame.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCatherine was the most renowned and the \nlongest-ruling female leader of Russia, reigning from 1762 until her \ndeath in 1796 at the age of 67. She is one of the three women commonly \nreferred to as \"The Great\", the others being Tamar of Georgia and \nGertrude the Great. Born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia as Sophie \nFriederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, she came to power \nfollowing a coup d'état when her husband, Peter III, was assassinated. \nRussia was revitalized under her reign, growing larger and stronger than\n ever and becoming recognized as one of the great powers of Europe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn\n both her accession to power and in rule of her empire, Catherine often \nrelied on her noble favorites, most notably Grigory Orlov and Grigory \nPotemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Pyotr \nRumyantsev and Alexander Suvorov, and admirals such as Fyodor Ushakov, \nshe governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by \nconquest and diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was crushed \nfollowing victories over the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish wars, \nand Russia colonised the vast territories of Novorossiya along the \ncoasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish-Lithuanian \nCommonwealth, ruled by Catherine's former lover, king Stanisław August \nPoniatowski, was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining\n the largest share. In the east, Russia started to colonise Alaska, \nestablishing Russian America.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCatherine reformed the \nadministration of Russian guberniyas, and many new cities and towns were\n founded on her orders. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine \ncontinued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. However, \nmilitary conscription and economy continued to depend on serfdom, and \nthe increasing demands of the state and private landowners led to \nincreased levels of reliance on serfs. This was one of the chief reasons\n behind several rebellions, including the large-scale Pugachev's \nRebellion of cossacks and peasants.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe period of Catherine the \nGreat's rule, the Catherinian Era, is often considered the Golden Age of\n the Russian Empire and the Russian nobility. The Manifesto on Freedom \nof the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and \nconfirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or\n state service. Construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the \nclassical style endorsed by the Empress, changed the face of the \ncountry. She enthusiastically supported the ideals of The Enlightenment,\n thus earning the status of an enlightened despot.  As a patron of the \narts she presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, when the \nSmolny Institute, the first state-financed higher education institution \nfor women in Europe, was established.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was born in London. \nEarly in life he began to engrave in mezzotint, mostly caricatures and \nportraits after Robert Edge Pine, and in 1767 he was awarded a premium \nby the Society of Arts. In 1773 he commenced publishing his own works, \nand in 1778 went into partnership with Thomas Watson, who engraved in \nboth stipple and mezzotint, and who died in 1781.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDickinson \nappears to have been still carrying on the business of a print seller in \n1791, but he later moved to Paris, where he continued to engrave, and \ndied in the summer of 1823.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSize: 40 x 52.5 cm approx\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"display: block;\" data-sm-instance=\"Basket2\" id=\"page_shop_fupZVVaVUjK2adrJmZyXT\" class=\"page_shop_fupZVVaVUjK2adrJmZyXT basket-status\" data-single=\"\u0026lt;%= count %\u0026gt; item\" data-multi=\"\u0026lt;%= count %\u0026gt; items\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"count\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; text-align: center;\"\u003ePhotos\nform part of the description\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRoyal:\u003c\/strong\u003e Empress Catherine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTo Commemorate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Royalty\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Engravings\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRoyal\/ Reign:\u003c\/strong\u003e Non-UK Royalty\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRoyalty:\u003c\/strong\u003e Russian Royalty\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYear:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1773\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eManufacturer:\u003c\/strong\u003e William Dickinson\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTheme:\u003c\/strong\u003e Royalty\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e Antique\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCountry of Origin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Russian Federation\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVintage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Bibelots London","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53545633448274,"sku":"206289352534","price":495.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9735\/0482\/files\/57_7e1bc029-85df-465a-8d17-1cad1001cdf2.jpg?v=1779568551","url":"https:\/\/bibelotslondon.com\/products\/william-dickinson-18th-century-engraving-of-catherine-the-great-of-russia-1773","provider":"Bibelots London","version":"1.0","type":"link"}