Illustrissimus Princeps Robertus; comes palatinus rheni, eqesordinis St.Georg II, Hipparchus svæ mai magnæ Britannæ. Etc.

Method Copper engraving
Artist Hendrik Snyers after Anthony Van Dyck
Published Antuerpiæ [c. 1650]
Dimensions Image 240 x 178 mm, Sheet 264 x 182 mm
Notes A half-length portrait of Prince Rupert of the Rhine, turned slightly to the left, wearing a cloak over a banner tied across his chest, with lace collar and cuffs, holding a baton in his left hand. Originally part of Van Dyck's series "Icones Principum Virorum". Second state of the plate with "Ioannes Meyssens" burnished off the address line.

Prince Rupert, Count Palatine (1619-1682) was a soldier and patron of science. The third son of Frederick V and Elizabeth, the exiled King and Queen of Bohemia, Rupert was a nephew of Charles I. He was made an honorary Founder Fellow of the Royal Society in 1664. He submitted a wide range of research including a water pump, navigational instruments, gunpowder, an early machine gun and a perspective aid for artists. He proved to be one of the most skillful and inspiring Royalist commanders in the Civil War. Having survived being shot in the head in 1647, Rupert conducted surgical experiments on his wound and presented papers to the Society. He was also the earliest practitioner of mezzotint engraving in England and demonstrated the technique in 1661.

Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) was one of the most prominent Flemish Baroque painters. Born in Antwerp, he was a pupil of Hendrik van Balen, but was soon noticed by Rubens with whom he would work closely during his early career. Van Dyck became a master of the St Luke Guild in 1618, went on to paint in Italy from 1621-1626, and then worked predominantly in England from 1632 onwards, where he was knighted by Charles I. Van Dyck was very prolific, he produced many portraits for members of the European aristocracy, as well as religious and mythological paintings and works on paper.

Hendrick Snyers (c. 1612-1667) was a Flemish engraver from Antwerp. He apprenticed with Nicolaes Lauwers, and worked with Abraham van Diepenbeeck for several years. Snyers mainly produced prints after Antwerp's master painters, namely Pieter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens.

New Hollstein, Van Dyck, 163, ii/ii.

Condition: Good impression. Trimmed within the plate mark and tipped to album page. Small ireon inclussion bellow sitters chin.
Framing unmounted
Price £80.00
Stock ID 46080

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