About this sheet
An original antique portrait print of Jakob Meyer zum Hasen, Mayor of Basel, after Hans Holbein, circa 1900.
Jakob Meyer zum Hasen (1482 to 1531) was the first burgomaster of Basel drawn from the guilds rather than the nobility, and he is known today through Hans Holbein the Younger, who painted him and his wife in 1516 and again in the great Darmstadt Madonna. The image is after Hans Holbein the Younger (circa 1497 to 1543).
Portrait prints of every kind, engraved, etched, lithographed and photomechanical, were produced in great numbers for books, periodicals and portfolios, and a buyer choosing among them is choosing first for the sitter and for the quality of the likeness.
This sheet comes from a gathering of portraits from across Europe and across two and a half centuries, in engraving, etching and lithography. Portrait prints have been collected in their own right since the eighteenth century, when James Granger's Biographical History of England of 1769 set off a fashion for illustrating books with portraits of the people named in them, and they are still collected today for the sitter, for the maker and for the face itself.
A single portrait frames well in a narrow moulding with a generous mat, and a group of them hung together, whether by period, by profession or simply by the strength of the faces, makes one of the most satisfying walls there is for a study, a library, a landing or a dining room.
The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, soft creases at the upper right corner and a few small spots in the lower margin; the image is clean.
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.
