William WARD (London 1766 - 1826) "The Gamesters" Original halftone etching by a subject by Reverend Matthew William Peters (1741 or 42 - 1814) published in London by John Raphael Smith in 1786. Beautiful copy in first edition, the second the address of Ackermann's Repository and the date 1802, printed with a magnificent color inking on laid paper and still inserted in an old typically English unopened frame. The two players in elegant clothes sitting at the game table are, from the left, the young William Courtenay 9th Earl of Devon and Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827) painter, draftsman and engraver, famous for his humorous and caricatured subjects. Bibliography: Frankau "William Ward ARA James Ward RA" London 1904 pag.200 n ° 128. Milesi "Dictionary of Engravers" Bergamo 1989 pag. 340 Slater "Engravings and their value" London 1912 pag. 678. Measurements in mm: 520 x 550 (the frame)