Liber Veritatis Appraisal

Richard Earlom Mezzotint after Claude Lorrain – Liber Veritatis Print

This item is a framed mezzotint print, likely a plate from the 'Liber Veritatis' series executed by Richard Earlom (1743–1822) after the original drawings of Claude Lorrain. The artwork depicts a classical pastoral landscape featuring prominent, feathery trees, rolling hills, a distant waterway, and small figures in classical or biblical attire in the foreground. The color palette consists of earthy browns, muted greens, and soft blues, suggesting a hand-tinted finish or a multi-plate printing process. The print is characterized by soft tonal transitions typical of the mezzotint technique, which Earlom refined. It is housed in an ornate double-matting with a metallic inner border and a thin wooden-looking gilt frame. In terms of condition, the paper shows visible signs of foxing and significant age-related browning (toning), particularly visible in the sky and margins. There is faint vertical streaking on the matting, possibly indicating moisture exposure or light-induced fading. The lower margin contains handwritten or etched inscriptions, which appear to identify the plate number and artist, consistent with 18th or 19th-century publications. The overall composition reflects the Neoclassical obsession with idealized nature and the 'Sublime' typical of the late 18th-century print market.