1791 Antique Print: Mercat Cross, Edinburgh, Scotland by Grose

Description: On offer: an original (i.e. not a later reproduction) scarce antique print "Cross at Edinburgh.", Scotland. A view of the Mercat Cross. DATE PRINTED: c.1797. The view was engraved in 1791, dated on the plate from a drawing made c.1750, dated in the original text, and printed a few years later. SIZE: The printed area is approximately 17 x 14 cm (6.75 x 5.5 inches) plus margins with a blank back (medium). ARTIST/CARTOGRAPHER/ENGRAVER: Engraved by James Newton (1748-c.1804). Published by Samuel Hooper, Ludgate Hill, London. PROVENANCE: This print was published in "The Antiquities of Scotland", by Francis Grose. Francis Grose (1731–1791) was an antiquary and lexicographer, of Swiss extraction. He published Antiquities of England and Wales (1773–87), which was well received, and thereafter, in 1789, set out on an antiquarian tour through Scotland, the fruit of which was Antiquity of Scotland (1789–91). He afterwards undertook a similar expedition to Ireland, but died suddenly at Dublin. TYPE: Antique copper block engraving printed on paper. VERSO: There is nothing printed on the reverse side which is blank. CONDITION: Good; suitable for framing. Please check the scan for any blemishes prior to making your purchase. Virtually all antiquarian paper is subject to some normal aging due to use and time which is not significant unless otherwise stated. I offer a no questions asked return policy. AUTHENTICITY: This is an authentic antique print, published at the date stated above. I do not offer reproductions. It is not a modern copy. The term 'original' when applied to a print means that it was printed at the first or original date of publication; it does not imply that the item is unique. RETURNS POLICY: I offer a no questions returns policy. All I ask is that you pay return shipping and mail back to me in original condition. POSTAGE / SHIPPING COSTS: I only charge postage for the first print ordered. There is no additional postage charge if you order more than one print. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Mercat Cross of Edinburgh is a market cross, the structure that marks the market square of the market town of Edinburgh. It stands in Parliament Square next to St Giles' Cathedral, facing the High Street in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current mercat cross is of Victorian origin, but was built close to the site occupied by the original. The Cross is first mentioned in a charter of 1365 which indicates that it stood about 45 feet (14 m) from the east end of St. Giles'. In 1617 it was moved to a position a few yards (metres) down the High Street now marked by "an octagonal arrangement of cobble stones"(actually setts). In 1756, the Cross was demolished and parts of the pillar re-erected in the grounds of Drum House, Gilmerton. A monument now stands there and on it a plaque that reads "Erected in memory of the old Mercat Cross of Edinburgh which stood at The Drum from 1756 to 1866. This Monument was erected November 1882". Five of the eight circular medallions featuring sculpted heads from the understructure of the original cross were eventually secured by Sir Walter Scott who incorporated them into the garden wall of his house at Abbotsford in the Scottish Borders. In 1866 the pieces of the cross from Drum House were reassembled on a new stepped pedestal on the east side of the north door of St Giles (that pedestal now supports the Canongate Cross). Because the pillar had been broken during demolition in 1756, its height was reduced after reassembly from 19.7 to 13.9 feet (6 to 4.25 m) and its girth made thinner. In 1885 it was placed on a new octagonal drum substructure at its current location, 24 feet (7.3 m) south of the original pre-1617 position. The sculpted heads on the original cross were replaced by the royal arms of Britain, Scotland, England and Ireland, the burgh arms of Edinburgh, Leith and the Canongate, and the arms of the University. Please explore my ebay shop for more antique prints. Track Page Views With Auctiva's FREE Counter

Price: 12.99 GBP

Location: Marlow

End Time: 2024-11-17T09:51:16.000Z

Shipping Cost: 6.74 GBP