On offer: an original (i.e. not a later reproduction) scarce antique print "Holy Cross, Co. Tipperary", Ireland.
DATE PRINTED: c.1797 (engraved in 1792, dated on the print).
SIZE: The printed area is approximately 17.5 x 14.5 cm (7 x 5.75 inches) plus margins with a blank back (medium).
ARTIST/CARTOGRAPHER/ENGRAVER: Drawn by Barralet and engraved by Samuel Sparrow. Published by Hooper. Samuel Hooper was Francis Grose's close friend and publisher. He died in 1791 and this work was subsequently published by his widow, Mary. John James Barralet (c. 1747 - January 16, 1815) was an Irish artist who spent the later part of his career in the United States. Of French descent, Barralet was born in Dublin, Ireland. In early life he was a drawing-master in Dublin, but he later went to London and practised water-colour painting. He exhibited three landscapes at the Royal Academy in 1770, and occasionally exhibited in succeeding years. He was employed in illustrating books on Irish Antiquities. In 1795 he emigrated to America, settling in Philadelphia, where he died in 1815.
PROVENANCE: This print was published in "The Antiquities of Ireland", 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. Before his death he issued volume 1 and his nephew Daniel and a Dr. Edward Ledwich, who had already published a book on Irish antiquities, completed volume 2 shortly afterwards.
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 maps and prints are 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.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Holy Cross Abbey (Mainistir na Croise Naofa) in Tipperary is a restored Cistercian monastery in Holycross near Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, situated on the River Suir. It takes its name from a relic of the True Cross or Holy rood. The fragment of that Holy rood was brought to Ireland by the Plantagenet Queen, Isabella of Angoulême, around 1233. She was the widow of King John and bestowed the relic on the original Cistercian Monastery in Thurles, which she then rebuilt, and which was thenceforth thereby named Holy Cross Abbey. With time, Holy Cross Abbey and the sacred relic of the True Cross became a place of great medieval pilgrimage, and with the Reformation, also a rallying-point for the dispossessed and victims of religious persecution. As a symbol and inspiration for the defence of the Catholic faith, resistance and the struggle for freedom. The Holy Rood relic was last exposed for public veneration in 1632, and following the Cromwellian war, Holy Cross Abbey fell into ruins. Local people used the roofless ruins as a burial place after 1740. It became a scheduled national monument in 1880, "to be preserved and not used as a place of worship".
Please explore my ebay shop for more antique prints.