A Landscape at Sunset, and the Cumaean Sibyl Conducting Aeneas to the Infernal Shades - Richard Earlom

A 1777 mezzotint by Richard Earlom after Claude Lorrain, depicting the classical myth of the Cumaean Sibyl guiding Aeneas.

This print is a masterful mezzotint by the British engraver Richard Earlom, published in 1777. It reproduces a drawing by the French painter Claude Lorrain, which was held in the collection of the Duke of Devonshire at the time. The work depicts a scene from Virgil's Aeneid, showing the Cumaean Sibyl guiding the hero Aeneas toward the entrance of the underworld.

Earlom was highly regarded for his ability to translate the atmospheric qualities of oil paintings and drawings into the medium of print. In this composition, he employs a combination of etching for the fine details of the foliage and figures, and mezzotint for the soft, tonal transitions of the sky and water. The sun, positioned low on the horizon, casts long shadows and creates a radiant glow that permeates the entire scene. The classical architecture on the right provides a sense of scale and historical context, typical of the idealised scenes favoured by Lorrain.

As a printmaker, Earlom was instrumental in the production of the Liber Veritatis, a massive project commissioned by the publisher John Boydell to document the drawings of Claude Lorrain. This specific plate demonstrates the technical precision required to capture the subtle light effects of the original drawing. The figures of the Sibyl and Aeneas are rendered with clarity, standing in the foreground against the expansive, serene backdrop of the Italianate coast. The print serves as a fine example of eighteenth-century reproductive engraving, where the goal was to make the works of great masters accessible to a wider audience through high-quality printmaking techniques.