John Pine
English, 1690 - 1756
John Pine was a British engraver. In 1733, Pine published a copperplate facsimile of the 1215 Magna Carta to accurately document the original manuscript following a catastrophic 1731 fire in the Cotton library. Pine reproduced the medieval Latin text, bordering the layout with the coats of arms of the twenty-five barons who enforced the charter at Runnymede. The bottom of the engraving features a visual rendering of King John’s damaged Great Seal, which had partially melted in the fire. This print served as the definitive 18th-century visual copy of the charter, providing a legal reference used to champion constitutional rights in Great Britain and the American colonies.