Third Bookplate of the Earl of Aylesford

Third Bookplate of the Earl of Aylesford

Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Heneage Finch, 4th earl of Aylesford was an accomplished etcher who admired Piranesi and Rembrandt. After succeeding to the title in 1777, the earl designed and etched bookplates for his own use, with this being an example of the third design out of four that he produced over time. Packington Hall, mentioned in the text below, was the family seat, and the new owner's dedication to learning and classical tradition is suggested by the books, ink-wells, quill pens, and substantial fluted column.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Third Bookplate of the Earl of AylesfordThird Bookplate of the Earl of AylesfordThird Bookplate of the Earl of AylesfordThird Bookplate of the Earl of AylesfordThird Bookplate of the Earl of Aylesford

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.