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. Extensive damp staining and foxing across the margins, heaviest below; small chips and soiling along the edges. The image is largely clean. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
An original steel engraving of an old man in a fur lined robe and a soft black beret, lettered "A Portrait" above the image, with "Goevard Flink" at lower left and "Appold" at lower right, naming the painter Govert Flinck and the engraver.
The old man is shown half length, turned to the right, with a long white beard and curling hair beneath his velvet beret. A heavy gold chain with a pendant hangs across his chest, and his dark robe, trimmed with fur and an embroidered border, is drawn up around his shoulders. The face is modeled in fine engraved line, with the light falling on the brow, the cheek and the beard, very much in the manner of the Rembrandt circle. The image is set within a delicate engraved border of scrolling vines and interlaced ornament.
Govert Flinck (1615 to 1660) was born in Cleves and trained in Amsterdam in the studio of Rembrandt, whose style he followed closely in the 1630s and 1640s before becoming one of the most successful portrait painters in the city. Heads of old men in rich costume, known as tronies, were a favorite subject of the Rembrandt school, and engraved copies of them were popular with nineteenth century collectors of old master images.
Steel plates came into general use for engraving in the 1820s and 1830s. Being far harder than copper, they allowed very fine lines and long print runs, and they were widely used for the decorative plates of illustrated gift books and art publications of the middle of the century, to which this bordered plate belongs in style.
The print makes an attractive old master subject for a study, a library or a collection of Dutch Golden Age images, and the decorative border gives it a finished look within a simple frame.
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.
