Cervantes, after the Spanish Print by D. F. Selma, Steel Engraving, circa 1840
€ 165
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1840
Mapmaker / artist
E. Mackenzie (engraver), after the Spanish print engraved by D. F. Selma
Publisher
Wm. S. Orr and Co., London, under the superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Sheet size
27 × 17 cm (10.6 × 6.7 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14343-20
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
Good condition for its age. Light toning and a few small spots to the margins; small creases to the upper right and lower right corners. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
This steel engraved portrait presents Miguel de Cervantes at half length, turned to the left and looking out with a calm, alert expression. He wears a wide pleated ruff, a close fitting doublet fastened with a long row of round buttons and a belt at the waist, and a heavy dark cloak draped over his left shoulder, with his right hand set on his hip. His hair is short and curling, and he has a pointed beard and an upturned mustache. The figure stands against a softly graded background within a ruled border.
The lettering reads "Engraved by E. Mackenzie." beneath the image, then the name CERVANTES in open capitals, followed in script by "After the Spanish Print, engraved by D. F. Selma." Below this the sheet is lettered "Under the Superintendance of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge." and finally "Published by Wm. S. Orr & Co. London."
Cervantes (1547 to 1616) is the author of Don Quixote, published in two parts in 1605 and 1615 and often called the first modern novel. Soldier, captive in Algiers for five years and later a tax collector, he wrote plays, poetry and the Exemplary Novels as well as his great comic masterpiece. No portrait taken from life is known to survive, and this image follows the traditional likeness established in Spanish engravings of the eighteenth century; the model here is the print by the Valencian engraver Fernando Selma (1752 to 1810).
The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge was founded in London in 1826 to bring good, affordable reading to a wide public, and its portrait series combined careful steel engravings with short memoirs of eminent men of all nations. The Society was wound up in 1846, which dates this impression to the years around 1840. It is a crisp, well printed plate and a fine portrait of one of the giants of world literature.
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.
