Saxon Privy Finance Councilor, Lithograph Portrait by C. Lutherer, circa 1840
€ 175
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1840
Mapmaker / artist
C. Lutherer (drawn from life and lithographed), C. Pohl (printer)
Publisher
Verlag der ... Kunsthandlung in Dresden (dealer's name worn)
Technique
Lithograph
Coloring
Uncolored
Sheet size
32 × 23 cm (12.6 × 9.1 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14343-41
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 with a long crease across the upper margin, staining and soiling along the left edge, small chips to the edges and a small spot in the lower margin. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
A finely drawn Biedermeier lithograph portrait of a Saxon statesman, lettered beneath the image with his facsimile motto and signature and with his offices in printed script: "K. S. Geh. Finanzrath", Royal Saxon Privy Finance Councilor, and "Mitglied der I. Kammer sächs. Ständeversammlung", member of the First Chamber of the Saxon Diet. The motto, in the sitter's own hand, reads "Nur das Gerechte ist gut", only what is just is good.
The lettering at lower left reads "N. d. Nat. gez. u. lith. v. C. Lutherer", drawn from life and lithographed by C. Lutherer, and at lower right "Steindr. v. C. Pohl", printed from the stone by C. Pohl. Carl Lutherer (1807 to 1850) was a portrait lithographer working in Dresden, and a publisher's line naming a Dresden art dealer runs along the foot of the sheet.
The sitter is an older man shown half length and turned slightly to the left, with a high, balding forehead, gray side whiskers and a steady, slightly severe gaze. He wears a dark coat with wide lapels, a white waistcoat and a high collar with a black stock. The face is modeled in soft, smooth crayon tones, and the coat is drawn with broader, darker strokes before fading into a hatched vignette.
The two chamber Diet of Saxony was created by the constitution of 1831, and the First Chamber brought together princes of the royal house, landowners, senior officials and representatives of the towns and the church. Portraits of its members were issued in Dresden for colleagues and constituents, and they form a fine record of the public men of Saxony in the decades before 1848. With its facsimile motto and full lettering, this sheet will appeal to collectors of German portraiture and Saxon history, and it frames handsomely in a dark molding with a wide 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.
