Oliverian, English Partisan of Cromwell in 1650, Jefferys Costume Print, 1757
€ 375
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1757
Mapmaker / artist
Published by Thomas Jefferys
Publisher
Thomas Jefferys, London
Technique
Copper Engraving
Coloring
Hand colored
Sheet size
32 × 25 cm (12.6 × 9.8 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14276-224
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; minor nicks along the left edge. Even age toning, soiled along all four edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin.
About this sheet
This is an original antique copper engraving from 1757, colored by hand, lettered "Habit of an Oliverian, an English Partisan, in 1650." A man in plain black stands facing the viewer, looking toward the viewer's left. He wears a broad brimmed black hat, and his hair, moustache and small beard are light brown. A white band collar with tasseled strings is the only relief at his neck. His doublet and full breeches are black, a dark cloak hangs behind him, and he holds a small book in one hand and a folded paper in the other. Brown stockings and black shoes with ties complete the dress.
The English title is engraved in script below the image: "Habit of an Oliverian, an English Partisan, in 1650." Beneath it, in smaller italic letters, is the French caption "Un Cromvelliste, ou Anglois Republicain, en 1650.", meaning "a Cromwellian, or English republican, in 1650". The plate number 224 is engraved at lower right. No engraver or artist is named on the plate.
The plate comes from the second volume of Thomas Jefferys' A Collection of the Dresses of Different Nations, Antient and Modern, published in London in 1757 by Jefferys, Geographer to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in the Strand. The work has a parallel French title page, Recueil des Habillements de Différentes Nations, which is why each plate is captioned in both languages. The English title page states that the old English dresses were taken after the designs of Holbein, Vandyke, Hollar and others, so the date in the caption belongs to the costume and not to the print. An Oliverian is a supporter of Oliver Cromwell, and the plain black dress and band collar sum up the sober style of the Commonwealth years that followed the execution of Charles I in 1649.
The restrained palette makes a telling contrast with the colorful cavalier plates of 1640, and the two hang well together.
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.
