Portrait of a Man in a Beret, Outline Engraving after Holbein, circa 1800
€ 135
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1800
Mapmaker / artist
G. F. S. (engraver, initials), after Hans Holbein
Publisher
Not named on the sheet
Technique
Engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Sheet size
33 × 27 cm (13.0 × 10.6 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14343-77
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; crease across the upper left corner; uneven edges with small chips at the lower edge; scattered foxing and a spot in the right margin. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
An original antique outline engraving of a man in a broad beret, lettered "Nach Holbein", after Holbein, and signed in the plate with the initials "G. F. S.", made around 1800.
The sitter is shown at bust length, turned three quarters to the right, his straight hair cut in a long bob beneath a soft, wide brimmed beret. His face is lean, with a long nose, prominent eyes and the trace of a smile, and he wears a loose gown open over a pleated shirt. The engraver has rendered the clothing and cap in pure outline, reserving shading for the hair and for the light modeling of the face, a style that imitates the appearance of a Renaissance drawing in chalk and ink.
The lettering "Nach" and "Holbein." is engraved in an elegant script in the two upper corners inside a double ruled border, and the initials "G. F. S." appear below the lower left corner. The sitter is not named.
Around 1800 there was a lively revival of interest in Hans Holbein the Younger (circa 1497 to 1543), especially in the German speaking lands and in Basel, where many of his portrait drawings are preserved, and engravers published outline copies of his heads for artists, students and collectors. The beret and bobbed hair of this sitter are typical of the men Holbein drew in Basel and Augsburg in the 1510s and 1520s.
Printed on a generous sheet of laid paper with a clear plate mark, this is a quiet and graceful print that suits a study or library, or a wall of drawings and early 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.
