A coloured, stipple engraved portrait of John Dryden by John Chapman 1803

DRYDEN, John (1631-1700). Colour-printed stipple engraving by John Chapman, published by J. Wilkes, London, 9 April 1803.
 
195 x 275 mm. A very good example with wide margins, light toning to the edges and a tiny nibble to the upper edge.
 
A portrait of the poet, playwright and critic John Dryden, Poet Laureate from 1668 and one of the dominant literary figures of Restoration England. Published for John Wilkes's Encyclopaedia Londinensis, the portrait forms part of Chapman's extensive series of engraved historical and literary figures. The Encyclopaedia was issued over many years and in parts, so its plates bear individual publication dates reflecting when each was first issued.