Decorated Statesman in Spectacles, Biedermeier Portrait Lithograph, circa 1840
€ 175
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1840
Mapmaker / artist
Unsigned lithograph
Publisher
Not named on the sheet
Technique
Lithograph
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Fair
Reference
BG-14343-79
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
Fair to good condition for its age. Chips and small losses to the corners and edges of the printed border, a nick at the upper edge and light soiling; the image itself is sound. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
This large original lithograph is a formal portrait of a statesman of the Biedermeier years, seated in an armchair and wearing the collar badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece among his decorations. The sheet has been trimmed to the printed ornamental border, and no title, name or imprint survives.
The sitter is shown three quarter length, turned slightly to the left, with dark curling hair, round spectacles and a calm, attentive expression. He wears a high black stock and a dark velvet coat over a pale sash. At his neck hang the Golden Fleece, a Maltese cross and a further enameled cross, and on his breast are an embroidered star and a smaller cross. His right hand rests on the arm of a chair carved with a sphinx, holding the tassel of a cushion, and his left lies across his knee. A fluted column and heavy curtains rise behind him, and a small hand bell stands on a pedestal at the right.
The drawing is accomplished and the stone is fully worked, with rich blacks in the coat and a wide range of tone in the drapery and upholstery. Formal portraits on this scale were made in Vienna and the other capitals of the German speaking world in the 1830s and 1840s for presentation to colleagues, institutions and admirers of senior officials.
The Golden Fleece, the most exclusive order of the Habsburg monarchy, was given to a small number of princes, ministers and high officers, so the sitter was evidently a figure of the first rank. The style of the dress and the hair belong to the years around 1840.
Even without its lettering this is an imposing portrait, and it would make a striking piece for a study, a library or an office, framed in a dark or gilt molding.
Condition: Fair to good condition for its age. Chips and small losses to the corners and edges of the printed border, a nick at the upper edge and light soiling; the image itself is sound. 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.
