Title Page to Francis Quarles, Shepherds Oracles
1646
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 17 × 12.4 cm (6 11/16 × 4 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1951.11.486
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the National Gallery of Art, we showcase treasures like William Marshall's *Title Page to Francis Quarles, Shepherds Oracles* (1646). This engraving, measuring just 17 × 12.4 cm, served as the frontispiece for the English poet Francis Quarles' collection of pastoral prophecies. Quarles, a devout Royalist writer amid England's turbulent Civil War era, blended biblical themes with shepherds' oracles in his emblematic style, making his works popular for their moral and spiritual depth. Marshall, a skilled 17th-century English engraver, masterfully captured the title in intricate lines...
About the Artist
William Marshall
**William Edgar Marshall (1837–1906)** was a preeminent American engraver and portrait painter, renowned for his meticulous line engravings on steel that captured the dignity and character of his subjects. Born in New York City to Scottish parents, Marshall began his career young, apprenticing at age seventeen in a watch-case factory before honing his skills engraving portraits at the U.S. Treasur...