Gentleman with an Eye Bandage, Tinted Lithograph, Karlsruhe, 1853

About this sheet

This lithographed portrait shows a man seated at half length, turned slightly to his right, with a black band tied diagonally across his forehead to cover his right eye. His fair hair falls long over the band and he has a full mustache, and he wears a high white collar, a black cravat tied in a bow, a dark double breasted waistcoat and a loose dark coat. The head and upper body are drawn with careful, velvety modeling, while the arms, hands and lower body fade into loose sketched lines at the edge of the vignette, a typical device of the romantic portrait lithograph.

The image is printed over a pale rectangular tint, and the lower right corner of the drawing carries the artist's signature in the stone together with the date 1853. The foot of the sheet is lettered "Carlsruhe, C. F. Müller'sche lith. Anstalt", identifying the lithographic establishment of C. F. Müller in Karlsruhe, a long established printing and publishing house in the capital of the Grand Duchy of Baden.

The eye bandage gives the portrait an unusual and striking character. It may record an injury from a duel, an accident or military service, and it lends the sitter a slightly rakish air that sets this sheet apart from the more formal portraits of the period. Lithography was the favored medium for such likenesses in the German states in the middle of the century, allowing a skilled draftsman to work directly on the stone and capture subtle gradations of tone.

This is a large, well printed impression on a generous sheet, with the tint giving the image a warm, finished appearance. It will appeal to collectors of German portrait lithography and of unusual character studies, and it frames well with a broad mat.

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.