From the 15th century on, engravings influenced European culturealmost as profoundly as books. Like stained glass windows in the MiddleAges or television today, popular prints were designed to reach eventhe lowest orders of society. In the 17th century, Peter Stent, whoseshop stood outside Newgate, was England's most prolific seller ofpopular prints, maps, and copybooks to the working and rising middleclasses. His inventory of copper plates reflected the shifts of populartastes during this period and commented directly on the turbulentevents of the day.In documenting Stent's output, Alexander Globestudied the printsellers' advertising catalogues as externalcontrols for reconstructing inventories as well as indices tocontemporary tastes. From these and other contemporary sources, Globecites every engraving and book attributable to Stent, breaking down thematerial into types: portraits, maps, miscellaneous sheets, and books(including works on handwriting, politics, natural history, anatomy,costume, and architecture). References and additions are made to thecatalogues of Donald Wing and A.M. Hind. Globe takes the history ofengraving beyond Hind by including prints from the Commonwealth,Protectorate, and early Restoration periods.
Eight appendices supplement the catalogue information. They provideevidence for print identificiation, discuss paper sizes, and listStent's artists, suppliers, and business associates. All thecollectiions in which Stent items may be found are named. The volumeconcludes with a bibliography and indices of subject as well aspost-17th century authors.
Globe's introduction to Stent's work is concerned with thesocial, political, and economic conditions leading to the emergence ofa popular printseller who catered to a different clientele from thatusually studied by art historians. Stent's career illustrates themid-17th century commercial revolution which saw the artisan'scustomers change from the wealthy leisure class to the worker whowanted mass-produced cheap goods.
Drawing on material in a hundred libraries and museums around theworld, the catalogue describes over fifteen hundred engravings,including 319 sheets and five books of portraits, 42 maps, 102miscellaneous prints and sets (with religious, classical, heeraldic,and satirical subjects), and 86 books (on handwriting, politics,military training, natural history, figure sketches, costume,architecture, and ornament).
Richly illustrated with 319 plates, Peter Stent will provevaluable not only to print dealers, art historians, museums, andlibraries, but also to social, cultural, and political historians.
List of Illustrations and Their Sources
Abbreviations
Introduction
Catalogue of Stent Prints and Books
Stent Plates in Books and Broadsides Without His Imprint
Appendix A: Stent's and Overton's Advertisements
Appendix B: Index of Stent's Imprints
Appendix C: Index of Subject, Plate, and Paper Sizes
Appendix D: Index of Altered, Cut, and Pendant Plates
Appendix E: Index of Artists
Appendix F: Index of Printsellers, Booksellers, and Printers
Appendix G: Index to Hind
Appendix H: Index to STC and Wing, Additions to Wing
Appendix I: Index of Locations
Bibliography
General Index
Index of Collections and Post-Seventeenth-Century Authors
