| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | Pieter Stevensz van Gunst after Anthony van Dyck |
| Published | Publish'd by John & Josiah Boydell. No.90. Cheapside London. c.1788. |
| Dimensions | Images 458 x 304 mm, Sheets 520 x 320 mm |
| Notes |
A fine pair of full length portraits of Charles I and his wife Henrietta Maria. Charles I is seen contrapposto in full metal plate armour. His left hand is bear resting on the hilt of his sword, his gauntlet lies on the floor behind him. Behind him is a tall table covered in a cloth, the King's crown and his plumed helmet on top. Henrietta Maria is seen standing in a luxurious silk gown, with pearl and jewelled embellishments to the chest and arms. She is wearing a pearl necklace and earrings, with a string of pearls in her hair. Her hand is resting on a table to the left on top of which sits the Queen's crown and a vase of roses. From the 'Houghton Gallery' series (1774-88), 162 prints after paintings in Robert Walpole's collection, sold in 1779 to Catherine the Great. Pieter Stevensz van Gunst (1658-1731) worked in Amsterdam as a reproductive engraver in the manner of Houbraken. A prolific printmaker, he is best-known for his portrait prints and book illustrations. He was linked with Britain in 1713-5 when he engraved a set of ten plates after whole-lengths by van Dyck from the Wharton collection (before they went to Houghton and thence to the Hermitage). These were proposed to subscribers by a syndicate of dealers - Cock, Comyns and McSwiny - who employed Houbraken to come from Holland in 1713 to make the drawings and van Gunst to engraved them in Amsterdam. The set of ten was advertised in the London Gazette on 13 December 1715. Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) was a Flemish painter. A pupil of Rubens, Van Dyke worked in Italy from 1621-26, and then from 1632 onwards he predominantly painted in England, where he was knighted by Charles I. Charles: O'Donoghue 48 Maria: O'Donoghue 6 Condition: Trimmed within plate marks and tipped to album pages. Some minor foxing to Henrietta Maria sheet. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £600.00 |
| Stock ID | 51304 |