A Pair of Framed English Engravings Gérard Jean-Baptiste Scotin II (1698- ca. 1755)

Each engraving depicting two figures engaged in a duel; the first dedicated in the plate 'To the Right Hon'ble Richard Earl of Burlington/This Plate is most humbly 'inscrib'd by his Lordship's most hum'ble & obed't serv't James Miller,' with the coat of arms for Richard Boyle, third Earl of Burlington (1695-1753); the second dedicated in the plate 'To His Grace Charles Duke of Marlborough/This Plate is most humbly 'inscrib'd by his Lordship's most hum'ble & obed't serv't James Miller,' with the coat of arms for Charles Spencer, third Duke of Marlborough (1706-58). Each unexamined out of frame. (2).

(H: 13, W: 16 in. (sight); H: 23, W: 26 1/4 in. (frame))

Provenance

The Charles J. McManus Jr. Collection.
Thence by descent.

Charles J. McManus Jr. (1922-2011) was noted interior designer and a passionate collector of antiques with a particular interest in the unusual and unexpected. As an interior designer, McManus worked on several important commissions in his birthplace of Philadelphia, including the Philadelphia Club and the Racquet Club of Philadelphia. He acquired pieces for his own collection during his extensive travels throughout the Mediterranean and Caribbean, where he owned a former sugar plantation in Antigua. His style of entertainment was widely admired as he hosted elaborate parties in his home, the former French Consulate in Philadelphia. The New York Times Magazine detailed one such cocktail party, and McManus described his goal for his collection as: “creating a mood, a feeling of warmth and otherworldliness,” for others to enjoy.