Le Comte d'Ugarte, Lithographed Portrait, C. F. Muller, Karlsruhe, circa 1845

About this sheet

An original lithographed portrait of a member of the Ugarte family of counts, identified by the large facsimile signature below the image, which reads "Le Cte d'Ugarte", that is, le Comte d'Ugarte.

The sitter stands at three quarter length in a wooded landscape, a young man with side whiskers and wavy hair, wearing a dark velvet collared frock coat over a light waistcoat, a patterned cravat and a watch chain. Both gloved hands rest on the head of a cane, and a riding crop or whip curls across the lower edge of the image. Behind him tall bare trees and a young fir are sketched in loose crayon, with a rustic rail fence at the left, so that the finished figure seems to emerge from a lightly drawn setting. The informality of the pose and the open landscape give the portrait the air of a country estate.

The printer's line at lower left reads "Lithographie de C. F. Muller à Carlsruhe", the lithographic press of Christian Friedrich Muller in Karlsruhe, capital of the Grand Duchy of Baden. The artist signed the stone at lower right. The Ugarte were a family of counts in the Habsburg lands, several of whom served in the Austrian administration and diplomatic service; the signature does not give the sitter's first name.

Lithography allowed the artist to draw directly on the stone with greasy crayon, and this portrait keeps all the freshness of a chalk drawing, from the soft modeling of the face to the quick strokes of the trees. The costume and the style of the drawing point to the 1840s.

This is a large and decorative portrait sheet, well suited to a wide mat and a simple frame, and it would sit handsomely in a hallway, a study or a group of nineteenth century portraits.

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.