1724 Johannes Kip Large Antique Print The Holy Trinity Cathedral, Chichester, England

Publisher : Johnnes Kip

  • Title : The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity in Chichester
  • Date : 1724
  • Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
  • Ref:  40411
  • Size: 26 1/2in x 22in (670mm x 560mm)

Description: This large original copper-plate engraved antique print by Johannes (Jan) Kip, after Leonard Knyff, was published in the 1724 Joseph Smith edition of Britannia Illustrata or Nouveau Theatre de la Grande Bretagne. This beautifully engraved original antique print is testimony to the fine, detailed work produced by Jan Kip.

Britannia Illustrata was first issued in 1707 by David Mortier as a single volume containing 80 topographical etchings by Johannes Kip, after drawings by Leonard Knyff. Many are birds eye views of country seats, but there are also a number of interesting London views. The series was first reissued and expanded into two volumes in 1708-1713, and provided with a second French title Nouveau Theatre de la Grande Bretagne. 
 An expanded edition of Britannia Illustrata was re-published by Joseph Smith in 1724 under its French title, Nouveau Theatre...,  containing many of the plates from the original edition by Mortier and also containing may new plates of places, churches, cathedrals and architecture of the landed gentry.

Background:
The cathedral of the Holy Trinity at Chichester was founded in 1075, after the seat of the bishop was transferred to the town from nearby Selsey. It was consecrated in 1108, but a subsequent fire created a need for substantial rebuilding, which was not completed until 1184. The cathedral was reconsecrated in 1199. This was not the last stage in its development, by a long way. Richard de la Wyche, (Saint Richard of Chichester in the Anglican Communion), who was bishop from 1245 to 1253, was buried in the cathedral, where his shrine was a place of pilgrimage, until it was ordered destroyed in 1538, during the first stages of the English Reformation. Further damage to the cathedral had been done by fire after the second consecration, and much rebuilding was carried out in the Early English style. The original wooden ceiling had burnt out, and the sublimely simple present vaulting replaced it. The spire, which was originally built in the 14th century, was of poor-quality local stone, and collapsed suddenly in 1861, miraculously without loss of life. It was immediately rebuilt, by Sir Gilbert Scott, a noted scholarly architect.

The cathedral has many other unique features. Under the floor of the nave are the remains of a Roman mosaic pavement, which can be viewed through a glass window. Also in the interior are the grave of the composer Gustav Holst and the Gothic "Arundel tomb" referred to in a famous poem by Philip Larkin.
Despite its age, the cathedral contains several modern works of art, including tapestries by John Piper and Ursula Benker-Schirmer, a window by Marc Chagall, and a sculpture by Graham Sutherland.  

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper colour: - off white
Age of map colour: - 
Colours used: - 
General colour appearance: - 
Paper size: - 
26 1/2in x 22in (670mm x 560mm)
Plate size: - 23in x 18in (585mm x 460mm)
Margins: - min 1in (25mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: -  None
Verso: - None

$150.00