1721 Copper Engraving Portrait Don Fernando Alvarez Toledo Pimentel Duke EUM3

This is an original 1721 black and white copper engraving of "Don Fernando Aluares von Toledo, Herzog von Alba." This is a portrait of Don Fernando Álvarez of Toledo and Pimentel, Duke of Alba, Spanish General, Viceroy of Portugal, and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. Also known as the "Iron Duke" in the Low Countries (the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse Rivers), he was the son of García de Toledo and Beatriz Pimentel. The portrait is surrounded by a wonderful decorative motif mimicking a frame set against an etched background. The design features two cherubs flanking an urn that rests upon a stylized and grotesque face at the top of the print and a cascading grape vine design framing the remainder of the portrait, uniting at the bottom center of the print.

CONDITION

This 290+ year old Item is rated Very Fine +++. Light foxing and aging. No creases. No natural defects.No surface rub.No tears. No water damage. Please note: There is a plate impression bordering the image in this print. Please also note: the foxing appearing in the digital image is not as dark or apparent on the original piece.

• Product Type: Original Copper Engraving; Black / White
• Grade: Very Fine +++
• Dimensions: Approximately 8.5 x 13.5 inches; 22 x 34 cm
• Authentication: Serial-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
• Protection: Packaged in a custom archival sleeve with an acid-free black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)

Period Paper is pleased to offer an extremely rare and impressive early eighteenth century collection of biographies and portrait engravings and etchings, produced in Leipzig, Germany in 1721 and 1722. Included are notable monarchs, rulers, religious figures, and members of notable Houses throughout Europe, including several genealogical charts of dynastic lines, spanning the sixteenth to early eighteenth centuries. The collection is comprised of exquisitely engraved and etched copper portrait plates framed by varying decorative motifs, all engraved by Johann Friedrich Rosbach. Many of the portraits include separate biographical pieces ranging in length from a single paragraph to several pages for more notable European monarchs and emperors. If present, the accompanying text is in German and is composed of beautiful woodcut text, with most pages containing elegantly etched drop cap initials, head-and tail-pieces and vignettes. The superb, folio-sized stock upon which the collection is engraved and etched employed the latest advances in eighteenth century paper making and highlights the era's predilection for strong, lightly sized paper with a fine structure and smooth surface. The paper's characteristics are thus similar to Japanese Gampi, and the result is well-preserved and crisp images that exceptionally capture Rosbach's fluid and sharp line work. This collection represents a unique opportunity to collect a valuable part of European history stunningly composed and illustrated.

This piece was illustrated by Rosbach, Johann Friedrich .

Keywords specific to this image: Art, Armor, Order of the Golden Fleece, Baldric, Neck Ruff, European Military Histroy, Conquest of Tunis, Siege of Perpignan, Battle of Muhlberg, Siege of Wittenberg, Dutch Revolt, Battle of Jemmingen, Battle of Jodoigne, War of the Portuguese Succession, Battle of Alcantara, Holy Roman Empire, Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Dynasty, Habsburg Monarchy, Austrian Monarchy, Thirty Years' War, Protestant, Catholic Counter-Reformation, Catholic Reformation, Catholic Revival, European Nobility, European Royalty, European History

EUM3C21 zz10000