Unsigned Copper Engraving (4 results)

Condition: Good. A handsome eighteenth century portrait of a gentleman of rank, engraved on copper and shown half length, turned slightly to the right, with a confident half smile. He wears a long, full bottomed wig of tight curls falling over both shoulders, a lace cravat and jabot at the throat, a waistcoat buttoned down the front and a coat of richly figured silk, over which a voluminous cloak of patterned brocade is thrown back from the shoulders in deep folds. The engraver has given full attention to the textures of the costume. The curls of the wig are built up in lively, swelling lines, the lace is rendered in delicate open work, and the flowered brocade of the coat and cloak is worked in close patterns that catch the light. The face is modeled in fine, careful hatching, and the background is laid in an even dark tone of ruled lines that sets off the pale wig and lace. The image has been trimmed to its border and laid onto a larger sheet of paper, so the lettering that once named the sitter and the artists no longer survives. An old collector's note in pencil in the lower margin reads "Frankreich", German for France, with a stock number in red ink, suggesting the print was once filed with French portraits in a German collection. The costume, with the full wig worn long over the shoulders and the lace cravat, belongs to the first half of the eighteenth century, the age of Louis XV and of the courts of Germany. Even without a name, this is a fine example of the courtly portrait engraving of the period, valued for its rich surface and assured drawing. It will appeal to collectors of baroque portraiture and costume, and it would make a distinguished picture for a study, library or hallway, framed in a dark or gilt molding. Condition: Good condition for its age. Image laid onto a larger sheet; scattered foxing to the margins; stain, pencil and red ink inscriptions and a small chip at the lower right. Image 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 14 cm x W 12 cm x D 0.02 cm Stock number: BG-14343-72.…

Condition: Fair. An early eighteenth century copperplate engraving of Milazzo on the north coast of Sicily, titled "MELAZZO" on a fluttering ribbon banner with tasseled ends across the top of the sky. The town spreads along a rocky headland seen from the sea: a castle with square towers and battlements crowns the hill, walls and houses step down the slope, and a round tower flying a flag guards the point at right. A few low buildings and small figures line the shore below. At left, a large sailing ship sends up a towering column of smoke, apparently on fire, while a second ship sails on the open sea at right and a rock breaks the water in the middle distance. The sea is described in bold, rhythmic engraved waves. The German caption engraved beneath the image describes Milazzo as a well fortified town and good harbor in the Kingdom of Sicily, which in the last war was besieged by the Spaniards for eight months, then abandoned by them when the Imperial relief approached, and restored to its rightful lord. This refers to the Spanish siege of Milazzo that began in 1718 during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. The plate number 205 is engraved at upper right, and an old ink number has been struck through in the top margin. No engraver or publisher is named on the sheet. The print is a copperplate engraving, with lively, open line work typical of the German view books of the period. The platemark and borderline frame the view and caption. A spirited small view with real historical bite, it suits a study, a library or a collection of Sicilian or Mediterranean views, and would look right in a narrow dark frame. Condition: Small loss or rounding to the bottom right and top left corners. Minor nicks along the top and bottom edges. Light, uneven toning, slightly darker toward the edges. Scattered light foxing and several larger brown spots in the margin. 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 19 cm x W 31 cm x D 0.02 cm Stock number: BG-13194-99.…

Condition: Fair. This seventeenth century copper engraving shows Reinhold de Rosa at three quarter length in full plate armor, his long hair falling to his shoulders, with a mustache and pointed beard, a broad lace collar and a sash across his chest. He holds a commander's baton in his right hand and rests his left on his hip beside his sword, while a plumed helmet sits at his side. The portrait is enclosed in an oval band inscribed in Latin, and the whole sheet is filled with a dense trophy of war: banners and standards, lances, drums, a cannon and cannonballs, armor and a sextant, with touches of red color on the flags. The oval inscription names him as the most illustrious, noble and valiant lord Reinhold de Rosa, hereditary lord in Seewald, Gänsehof and other estates, in the service of His Royal Majesty in Poland and Sweden, colonel and commander of a regiment. A cartouche above carries the motto "Virtuti nil invium", nothing is impassable to virtue, beside the dates "Nat. 1590" and "Mort. 1664". Below the oval his coat of arms, three roses beneath a crested helm with peacock feathers, is flanked by two figures above a cartouche of Latin verse beginning "Te, Rosa, commendat terris Gens magna Parentum", signed "Martin Fridrich Seidel Consiliar. Brandenb." The Rosen family was a Baltic German noble house from Livonia whose members served the crowns of Sweden and Poland as soldiers throughout the Thirty Years War and the northern wars. Martin Friedrich Seidel (1621 to 1693) was a Brandenburg councilor and antiquarian who collected and commissioned portraits of distinguished men connected with Brandenburg and Prussia, and his signed dedication marks this plate as part of that circle. Portraits of this kind, with elaborate trophies, armorial bearings and dedicatory verse, are true documents of baroque military culture. This is a rare and characterful sheet for collectors of seventeenth century portraiture and military history. Condition: Fair to good condition for its age. Trimmed close; small losses and abrasions within the image, notably upper left and lower center; small tears at the upper edge; light soiling. 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 27 cm x W 18 cm x D 0.02 cm Stock number: BG-14343-71.…

Condition: Good. 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.…