A View in the Gardens of the Imperial Palace in Pekin (Peking), by William Alexander (1767-1816). [Photo provided to China Daily]

The exhibition features 15 works by William Hogarth, the earliest-born artist (1697-1764) at the exhibition and the most important painter of his generation. The mass production of engravings of Hogarth's paintings bolstered his popularity.

A set of four engravings Hogarth made in 1738, titled The Four Times of Day, depicts famous locations in London seen at day and night, including Covent Garden, the Poets' Church and Sadler's Wells Theater. And each of them tells a story "with the use of lively details" revealing common people's everyday lives, says Stone.

For instance, the third plate titled Evening depicts in the center a woman and her husband walking along a street. The man holds a girl in his arms while strangely, he has a pair of horns grown out of his head which, Stone says, indicates that his wife has betrayed him by being pregnant with another man.

An increasing number of English painters after Hogarth followed his practice to extend their market influence by reproducing their paintings as prints.

"Only one person could own a painting, but the print of the painting could be owned by many people, thereby increasing that author's reputation," says Stone.