Woman in a Ruffled Bonnet, Profile Portrait, Copper Engraving, circa 1790

An elegant late eighteenth century profile portrait of a woman, engraved on copper and set within an oval near the top of a tall plate. She faces right, her powdered hair dressed in rolled curls at the side of the head and falling in ringlets at the nape, beneath a large bonnet of gathered muslin with a pleated frill and a band of ruching around the crown. A soft fichu of fine white fabric is drawn up around her shoulders. The plate carries no name, title or imprint. The engraving is accomplished work. The face is modeled in fine stipple, giving a smooth and luminous complexion, while the bonnet and fichu are drawn in crisp, flowing lines that catch every fold of the light fabric. The ground of the oval is laid in close cross hatching, so that the pale profile stands out clearly against a dark background in the manner of a cameo or a silhouette. Below the oval the plate is left blank for its full width, framed by a sharp plate mark, and the sheet itself has generous margins with deckled edges. The costume places the portrait in the years around 1785 to 1795, when the large ruffled bonnet, the powdered side curls and the loose fichu were the height of fashion among the prosperous families of France, Switzerland and the German lands. The profile format was especially popular in these years, encouraged by the vogue for silhouettes, portrait medallions and neoclassical cameos, and portraits like this one were often made privately for family and friends. With its strong design and clean, well inked image, this is a very decorative eighteenth century portrait. It would suit a collector of costume and fashion history or of eighteenth century portraiture, and it would look especially fine framed in a simple gilt or black molding with the full sheet showing. Condition: Good condition for its age. Light toning; deckled edges; a few small spots in the lower left margin and a faint crease to the lower left corner. The image is clean. Please review the images for further condition details. This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed. Size: H 29 cm x W 22 cm x D 0.02 cm Stock number: BG-14343-61.…