{"product_id":"early-19th-century-engraving-francis-lord-cottington-by-jacobus-houbraken","title":"Antique Houbraken Engraving Portrait “Francis, Lord Cottington” Published 1744 | 9 x 14.75","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eLikely to have come from a book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"516\" data-start=\"172\"\u003eThis is one of those prints that feels like a little time capsule. A finely engraved portrait of Francis, Lord Cottington, set inside an ornate scrollwork cartouche that almost looks like carved stone or gilded wood. The engraving is extremely crisp, especially in the lace collar, the hair, and the deep, velvety shading behind the figure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1124\" data-start=\"518\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eSo who is he?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e Cottington was a major English court figure in the early 1600s. He served the Stuart monarchy and moved through the highest levels of government during the reign of King Charles I, working in diplomacy and royal finance at a time when England was full of political tension. In other words, he wasn’t just a titled gentleman, he was one of the people shaping policy behind the scenes in the decades leading into the English Civil War period. That context is what gives a portrait like this its weight. It is not generic old-world décor, it is tied to a specific chapter of British history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1630\" data-start=\"1126\"\u003eThe plate is engraved by Jacobus Houbraken, and the publication line at the bottom is dated 1744, which gives it that true early Georgian print culture feel. Another detail collectors love is the old “In the possession of…” line along the bottom, a clue that the engraving was made after an earlier portrait owned in a private collection. It’s the kind of antique print that looks incredible framed with a wide mat if you like English library style, traditional interiors, or moody gallery walls.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: underline;\"\u003eArtist Biography\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJacobus Houbraken (1698-1780) was a Dutch engraver, apprenticed under his father, Arnold Houbraken (1660-1719). Houbraken’s style was similar to the portrait engravers of the great seventeenth century French school, most notably, Nanteuil, Drevet and Edelinck. He surpassed these masters in his ability to capture textures and tones. The Italian engraver, Raphael Morghen said, “No engraver has ever equalled, and probably will not equal, the Dutchman Jacobus Houbraken, in the manner of imitating the flesh and the hair by means of the graver.” He was sought after by both English and Dutch publishers. His most famous engravings for English publication were those for the historical series, \"The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain\", published in parts in London between 1734 and 1752. He worked alongside George Vertue (1684-1756), but most of the great portrayals were left to Houbraken, including those of Newton, Pope, Dryden, Shakespeare and Milton. Under the framed portrait of each individual, he designed and engraved the vignettes and objects associated with each person. Jacobus Houbraken's most important set of original portrait engravings, The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain, required almost twenty years to complete. The set contains one hundred and eight portraits of British luminaries dating from the 14th to early 18th centuries including Kings, Queens, noblemen, politicians, writers, scientists and philosophers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-pre-wrap leading-[1.7]\"\u003e[d]Title | Portrait of Francis, Lord Cottington [d]Engraver | Jacobus Houbraken (1698 to 1780) [d]Series | The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain [d]Medium | Engraving on paper [d]Subject | Portrait of Francis, Lord Cottington, Stuart-era English statesman [d]Origin | England (published London) [d]Date | 1744 (publication line in plate) [d]Size | 9 in W x 14.75 in H [d]Language | English [d]Frame | Unframed\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-pre-wrap leading-[1.7]\"\u003e[condition] In very good antique condition overall. Light, even age toning throughout with minor scattered surface speckling consistent with age. The sheet has been trimmed to narrow margins, likely for past framing. The verso shows overall discoloration and a small area of light surface disturbance near the lower right. The impression itself is crisp and strong, with the fine detail in the lace, hair, and cartouche remaining fully legible.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Austyn Marie","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50900294893846,"sku":"AMD-02583","price":240.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0896\/4623\/5926\/files\/F829587D-52F5-454B-914D-A22568FC57F2_1_201_a.jpg?v=1767387873","url":"https:\/\/austyn-marie-design.myshopify.com\/products\/early-19th-century-engraving-francis-lord-cottington-by-jacobus-houbraken","provider":"Austyn Marie Design","version":"1.0","type":"link"}