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18th C. Portrait of a Woman in Henry VIII's Court from a 16th C. Holbein Drawing

Offered by: Timeless Intaglio – Rare Prints, Maps & Books

Description
This portrait of a noble woman in King Henry VIII's court entitled "M. Souch" is an etching and stipple engraving, printed in color on light pink-colored paper with hand-coloring, including her blue eyes. It is from "The Book of Imitations of Original Drawings by Hans Holbein in the Collection of His Majesty" by Francesco Bartollozzi (1728–1815), after a drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/8 - 1543) in the 16th century. It was published in London by John Chamberlaine in 1797.

This is a bust length portrait of a noble woman, who is facing to the front. She wears a necklace and a medallion on her bodice. The sitter's identity is somewhat controversial. The inscription in the upper left reads M. Souch. The sitter may be Mary Zouch, who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's 3rd wife. It has also been suggested that the sitter could be Anne Gainsford, lady-in-waiting to the King’s second wife Anne Boleyn, whose married name was Zouche. Bartolozzi's engraved portrait is after a drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543), the famous artist in the court of Henry VIII. The inscription below the image reads "In his Majesty's Collection". "Published as the Act directs Sept. 1, 1797 by I. Chamberlaine Brompton Row Middlesex".Below the image on the left it reads: "From the original drawing by Hans Holbein". Below the image on the right it reads: "Engraved by F Bartolozzi RA Historical Engraver to His Majesty".

The engraving is presented in an ornate beaded black frame with a gold inner trim and a light peach-colored mat. It is glazed with UV conservation glass. The frame measures "22.25 high, 17" wide and 1.25" deep. The print is in excellent condition. The original text from the 18th century publication is included in a sleeve on the back of the frame.

There are three additional framed Bartolozzi engraved portraits from Holbein drawings that are available on 1stdibs. They are framed and matted identically to this one, other than some differences in frame size. These include portraits of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's son Edward, who succeeded Henry as King and himself was succeeded by Queen Elizabeth I, and Sir Nicolas Poines. These would make for an attractive and interesting display grouping. A discount is available for the purchase of one or more of these portraits, depending on the number. These can be viewed on our Timeless Intaglio storefront on 1stdibs or InCollect. The 1stdibs reference numbers are LU1173211496802, LU1173211496622 and LU1173211495682.

This portrait is held by multiple museums, including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The British Museum, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, The National Portrait Gallery and the Chicago Art Institute.

More Information

Period:	18th Century
Condition:	Good.
Creation Date:	1797
Styles / Movements:	Traditional
Incollect Reference #:	613376

Dimensions

W.	17 in;	H.	22.5 in;	D.	1.25 in;
W.	43.18 cm;	H.	57.15 cm;	D.	3.18 cm;

Message from Seller:

Timeless Intaglio is an online gallery of rare and collectable antiquarian prints, maps and books. Although we specialize in all forms of vintage printed works on paper, the majority were created with the intaglio method of transferring ink from a plate, usually copper, to paper with a technique utilizing pressure generated by a press. Email us directly: rbreiman@timelessintaglio.com