Vanloo Charles Philippe (3 results)

Uncolored oval bust portrait of a bespectacled Benjamin Franklin. 8-1/4" x 9-3/4", on a 10-1/2" x 13-3/4" sheet. Portrait surrounded by a black oval border. The portrait is captioned "Francklin." Directly beneath the oval border in small type is printed "Vanloo Pinxt" to the left and "P.M. Alex Sculpt" to the right. Very Good. According to Sellers's BENJAMIN FRANKLIN IN PORTRAITURE, the engraving was done after an original portrait by the famed French painter, Charles Philippe Vanloo, in which Franklin was wearing fur-trimmed costume. The original portrait was painted while Franklin resided in Paris, a "life portrait" dated between 1777 and 1785, and is now in the collection of the American Philosophical Society, which was founded by Franklin. Sellers discusses our print: "the substitution a simple gray coat for the fur-trimmed costume of the original was undoubtedly in deference to the revolutionary feeling." It is one of a series of portraits begun in July 1790 and finished in September 1797. The 'Francklin' was exhibited in 1795, so the estimated date of the portrait is between July 1790 and 1795. This print was engraved after Vanloo's portrait by the noted French engraver, Pierre-Michel Alix, who was known for his portraits of leading French citizens and prominent personalities. [Sellers, Charles Coleman: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN IN PORTRAITURE, Yale University Press: 1962, pp. 393-394.] Charles Philippe Amedee Vanloo [1715 -1795] was the member of a Flemish family of painters that settled in France. He was known for painting landscapes and portraits, and he had an affinity for scientific subjects. Pierre-Michel Alix [1762-1817] was a French engraver and printmaker, specializing in multiple-platecolor printing. He studied under Jacques-Philippe Le Bas and was best known for his portraits of notable figures during the French Revolution and First French Empire.

An attractive mezzotint portrait of Benjamin Franklin, with delicate contemporary coloring. The engraving was done after an original portrait by the famed French painter, Charles Philippe Vanloo (sometimes spelled Van Loo). The original portrait was done while Franklin resided in Paris in the years during and after the American Revolution, and is now in the collection of the American Philosophical Society, which was founded by Franklin. Sellers asserts that it is "beyond question a life portrait," done between 1777 and 1785. In Vanloo's original portrait Franklin wears a fur coat. In this print of the painting the fur coat has been replaced by a simpler cloth coat. Franklin wears glasses, his hair is long and gray, and he has a slight smile on his face. In the caption below the image, his name is spelled "Francklin." "The substitution of a simple gray coat for the fur-trimmed costume of the original was undoubtedly in deference to revolutionary feeling" - Sellers. This print was engraved after Vanloo's portrait by the noted French engraver, Pierre-Michel Alix, who was known for his portraits of leading French citizens and prominent personalities. A handsome contemporary portrait of the American who dazzled France as a diplomat, scientist, philosopher, and gentleman of society. SELLERS, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN IN PORTRAITURE, p.394. Handcolored oval mezzotint portrait, 10 x 8¼ inches, on a 12½ x 9¼-inch sheet. Sheet lightly browned, more so around the edges. Overall, very good. Matted.

Hand-coloured oval mezzotint measuring 380 by 270mm. A very good copy, catalogue note tipped onto lower right-hand side, archival mount. Paris, chez Marie Francois Drouhin, c. A handsome copy of this important portrait of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), one of the most important recognisable in eighteenth-century American history: scientist, philosopher, and diplomat.   Charles Philippe Vanloo (1719-1795) painted this portrait while Franklin served as ambassador to France, some time between 1777 and 1785. In the original - held at the American Philosophical Society - Franklin is wearing a fur coat rather than the contemporary suit here. Sellers suggests that the "substitution of a simple gray coat for the fur-trimmed costume of the original was undoubtedly in deference to revolutionary feeling." It was engraved by Pierre-Michel Alix.   The Boston Athenaeum and the AAS date this image to 1790, the BnF to 1795.   Sellers, Charles, Benjamin Franklin in Portraiture (Yale, 1962) p.394. .