very FIRST rare PRESENTATION 1797 engraving LORD NELSON from the Painting by John Francis Rigaud in 1781 Start Price USD 10,000.00 Current Price USD 10,000.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, July 18, 2008 End Time Monday, July 28, 2008 Location Line of Battle Naval Museum, Annapolis, MD See more about 'very FIRST rare PRESENTATION 1797 engraving LORD NELSON' Description HORATIO LORD NELSON LINE OF BATTLE PORTRAIT GALLERY EXTRAORDINARY. THE ONLY ONE AVAILABE IN THE WORLD. This ORIGINAL stipple copper plate engraving of HORATIO NELSON is an exceedingly rare at over 200 years old. THIS IS FROM NO BOOK! The STORY boggles the mind. A very astute Englishman contacted me as to the story and I will cut and paste his finding, and for this I give him the credit and my thanks. "You do well to hang on to the original engraving, I suppose, because, to my knowledge, it is the very first engraved portrait of Nelson that exists. It was done by a local - to me - man who called upon Captain Locker, Nelson's erstwhile "Sea-Daddy" and who was in 1797 Lieutenant Governor of the Greenwich Hospital. He, Shipster, begged for a portrait of Commodore Nelson whose fame after the battle of St Vincent February 14, 1797 spread through the land. Locker lent him his portrait of Captain Locker (as noted in the text) done by John Francis Rigaud. Ironically, the very day this print was published August 14, 1797 Nelson landed home at Portsmouth from Santa Cruz, Teneriffe minus a right arm. Locker therefore, that autumn introduced Nelson to Lemuel Abbott, and on the 5th October 97 Nelson travelled to Greenwich to have his portrait done by that artist. This image has arguably become the most famous of all, but it all began with your little image." Even the Rigaud portrait has a story to it. Captain Horatio Nelson, painted by John Francis Rigaud in 1781, with Fort San Juan - the scene of his most notable achievement to date - in the background. The painting itself was begun prior to the battle when Nelson was a lieutenant and nearly finished; when Nelson returned, the artist added the new captain's gold-braided sleeves. For an exceptional collection available for Lord Nelson and the British Navy, please click on "My Store" in the British Navy section to see what's available right now. This historic piece c should be considered a NATIONAL TREASURE of GREAT BRITAIN. The condition of the engraving is excellent. There is some darker toning around the edges. You will note that the plate marks are cockeyed , which adds to the charm. The sale of this is limited to only the US and UK. The image size is about 4 x 5 inches not counting the text and margins. Overall it is 8 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches. Winner to pay $100.00 for registered, insured, and crated packaging. Shipping to the UK will be based on the most expeditious method with tracking, registered insured. SquareTrade © AP6.0 Powered by eBay Turbo Lister Place a Bid!