Lot Essay
In his pen and ink drawings Chinnery used the common 18th-century system of shorthand, first devised by Thomas Gurney (1705-1770), who published his work on the subject in 1750. The shorthand script adds a mysterious element to the drawings as it is indecipherable to the untrained eye. We know, however, that works inscribed with a '+' were those that Chinnery liked and wished to use again and those inscribed with a 'X' he was unhappy with. He would not remove the notes that he made on a drawing when he sold or gave away a work and would often add further notes in ink.