1758.
1. His own portrait,[1] sitting, and painting the Muse of Comedy; Head profile, in a cap. The Analysis of Beauty on the floor. W. Hogarth, serjeant-painter to his Majesty. The face engraved by W. Hogarth.
I should observe, that when this plate was left with the person employed to furnish the inscription, he, taking the whole for the production of our artist, wrote "Engraved by W. Hogarth" under it. Hogarth, being conscious that the face only had been touched by himself, added, with his own hand, "The Face" Engraved, &c.
In the second impression "The Face Engraved by W. Hogarth" is totally omitted.
In the third impression "Serjeant-painter, &c." is scratched over by the burin, but remains still sufficiently legible.
The fourth impression has "the face retouched, but not so like as the preceding.[2] Comedy also has the face and mask marked with black,[3] and inscribed, Comedy, 1764. No other inscription but his name, William Hogarth, 1764."
The original from which this plate is taken, is in Mrs. Hogarth's possession at Chiswick. A whole-length of herself, in the same size, is its companion. They are both small pictures.
[1] Among the prints bequeathed by the late Mr. Forrest to his executor Mr. Coxe, is this head cut out of a proof, and touched up with Indian ink by Hogarth. Mr. Forrest, in an inscription on the back of the paper to which it is affixed, observes it was a present to him from Mrs. Hogarth.
With these prints are likewise several early impressions from other plates by our artist; and in particular a March to Finchley uncommonly fine, and with the original spelling of prusia uncorrected even by a pen. I am told that both the head and this, with other engravings in the collection of the late Mr. Forrest, will be sold by auction in the course of the Winter 1786.
[2] i. e. the two first.
[3] So in both the third and fourth impressions.
2. The Bench. Over the top of this plate is written in capitals—CHARACTER. Under it "of the different meaning of the words Character, Caracatura, and Outrè, in painting and drawing," Then follows a long inscription on this subject. The original painting is in the collection of Mr. Edwards.