XII Views in Aquatinta From Drawings Taken on the Spot in South Wales

This first of Sandby's four sets of Welsh views marks the introduction of aquatint into Britain. Jean-Baptiste Le Prince had revived the technique in Paris in the 1760s, and Sandby developed his own variation by suspending resin powder in alcohol, then applying it to printing plates with a brush. Tonal range was created with stopping out liquid, used to protect areas of the design as the plate was repeatedly bathed in acid. Sandby named the process "aquatinta" because it resembled ink wash.
The artist had toured North Wales in 1771 with his student Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, and returned to the south in 1773 with a group of botanists led by Joseph Banks. His prints of South Wales were published first, in 1775, dedicated to Banks and Charles Greville (who could not join the tour after his father died).
Between 1773-74, Sandby began working on twenty-four aquatint plates, publishing them in sets of twelve in 1776 and 1777. John Boydell published early states of the first set but withdrew when he realized how the fragile aquatint grounds required frequent retouching, making the enterprise a bad bet commercially. Sandby developed his process so that his third and fourth sets needed little retouching.
Title/Dedication page.
1: Chepstow Castle in Monmouthshire, 1775.
2: The South Gate of Cardiff Castle in Glamorgan Shire, 1775.
3: St. Quintin's Castle near Lowbridge in Glamorgan Shire, 1775-76.
4: North West View of St. Donat's Castle in Glamorgan Shire, 1775.
5: View up Neath River from the House at Briton Ferry in Glamorgan Shire, 1775.
6: Pembroke Castle, 1774-75.
7: Part of the Remains at Llanphor near Pembroke, 1775.
8: Manerbaur Castle in Pembrokeshire, 1775.
9: Manerbaur Castle from the Inward Court, 1775.
10: Carey Castle in Pembrokeshire, 1775.
11: Benton Castle looking down the reach to Milford Haven, 1775.
12: Episcopal Palace at St. David's, 1775.