Portrait of a Gentleman in a Wig, Etching with Basel Spalentor Border, 1894
€ 125
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1894
Mapmaker / artist
Unsigned etching, image inscribed in reverse 'D: B. f. 1787'
Publisher
Not named on the sheet
Technique
Etching
Coloring
Uncolored
Sheet size
32 × 24 cm (12.6 × 9.4 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14343-64
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. Toning; uneven edges with a small loss at the lower edge, clear of the image; a few small spots in the lower left margin. The image is clean. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
An original etched portrait of an eighteenth century gentleman, dated 1894 on the plate, with an unusual decorative border. The sitter is not named on the sheet.
He is shown half length, turned slightly to the left, with heavy lidded eyes, full jowls and a powdered wig dressed in rolled curls over the ears. He wears a buttoned coat and waistcoat with a lace jabot and lace cuffs, one hand resting on his chest. In the upper right corner of the image an inscription is etched in mirror writing so that it prints reversed, reading "D: B. f. 1787", which suggests the portrait reproduces an original signed with the initials D. B. and dated 1787.
To the left of the portrait a narrow upright panel shows three carved statues under pinnacled canopies, a crowned Virgin and Child above two bearded figures, lettered at the foot "Spalen Thor". These are the statues on the Spalentor, the great Gothic city gate of Basel. Beneath the portrait runs a frieze of costumed and masked figures in procession, among them an animal headed man, a long beaked bird, halberdiers, a flag bearer, a fool, a griffin and a wild man carrying an uprooted tree, with the date "1894" in the center. The griffin and the wild man are among the traditional figures of Basel's street festivals.
The etching is drawn with a lively, slightly naive line, with parallel hatching in the coat and background and careful detail in the wig and lace. The plate is printed on a large sheet of toned paper with ample margins and a clear plate mark.
With its Basel references and its mixture of portraiture and festival imagery, the sheet will interest collectors of Swiss prints and of the history of Basel, and it makes a distinctive piece for a study or hallway.
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.
