In 1796, Bartolozzi, then a Royal Academician, executed his most beautiful book-plate. It is inscribed 'H. F. Bessborough,' and was made for Lady Henrietta Frances Spencer, who, in 1780, married Frederick, third Earl of Bessborough. The design shows us a Roman interior with an exquisitely drawn Venus, seated, and holding in her left hand--which is uplifted--a burning human heart, and in her right, a dove. Behind her is a vase of flowers. The other inmates of the room are two cupids, who hold above the goddess a long scarf bearing Lady Bessborough's name. The design is Cipriani's. Besides his signature and that of the engraver, there is also on the book-plate, 'Published Dec. 30, 1796, by F. Bartolozzi.' It will be remembered that in 1735 Hogarth, by his own exertions on behalf of his brother artists, managed to get an Act through Parliament--a body that then probably cared little for art or artists--by which designers and engravers obtained a copyright in their own works; and it is a singular testimony to the popularity of Bartolozzi's work, that on so trivial a work as a book-plate it was found necessary to adopt this formula of publication. By the kindness of the Hon. Gerald Ponsonby, I am enabled to state that Bartolozzi's receipt for this 'ticket plate,' as he calls it, bears as its date the 29th December 1796, the day before the date of 'publication.' It is noteworthy that Bartolozzi received £20 for his work. The book-plate is given on the previous page. Quite distinct from this 'joyous' book-plate is another, executed by the same artist for a Spanish lady, which we may class as English, since it was no doubt engraved by him in England. Isabel de Menezes, the lady for whom this book-plate was designed, was, as she tells us on it, in the seventy-first year of her age. Allegoric figures disporting themselves in youthful frolic would, perhaps, have been out of keeping on the book-plate of a lady at that sombre time of life, and so the designer has run to the other extreme. Gloominess predominates in this book-plate. A partly ruined square-built tomb is erected on a promontory above the sea; briars and other creepers have grown round it and had covered it, till the kneeling female figure drew them down in order to place upon the tomb a commemorative inscription. Beside the figure is a Cupid, who points to the newly-cut words. It has been thought that this may have been designed for a visiting card; it is quite in the fashion of such things at the date, and it is likely enough that Isabel de Menezes used the plate both as a card and as a mark of ownership for her books.