Artist: Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1497 - 1543) was a German-Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style and is considered one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century.
Engraver: Jacobus Houbraken (1698 - 1780) was a Dutch engraver and the son of the artist and biographer Arnold Houbraken.
Title: Portrait of Thomas Cromwell. Thomas Cromwell (1485 - 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540 when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charges for the execution.
Signed, Numbered, Titled, and Dated: Lettered with the title around the frame, and below image "In the Possession of Edward Southwell Esqr," and production detail: "J. Houbraken sculps Amst / Holben pinx / Impensis J & P Knapton Londini 1739".
Dimensions: Image/platemark 14 1/2" x 9 1/2". Sheet 16 1/2" x 10 1/4". Mat 20 1/4" x 14 3/4".
Publisher: John & Paul Knapton (active 1735-1789). From 1712 until 1719, John Knapton was apprenticed to his father, a leading London bookseller. He continued to work for his father until the latter's death in 1736, at which point John, and his brother Paul, took over the family business. Knapton was responsible for the publishing of some of the most significant works of the day including a complete edition of Alexander Pope's works and the first edition of Samuel Johnson's. (National Portrait Gallery).
Edition: Thomas Birch. The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain, Engraved by Mr. Houbraken and Mr. Vertue (London, 1743-1752). George Vertue FSA (1684 – 1756) was an English engraver and antiquary. Thomas Birch (1705 – 1766) was an English historian.
Date: 1739.
Materials and Techniques: engraving and etching on laid paper pasted on the cardboard. Hand-colored.
Mat and Frame: Matted.
Provenance: The Estate of George "Yorgo" Demetrakopoulos; professor, assistant director of the Medieval Institute, and assistant to the dean at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, from 1965-2000.
Condition: The signs of aging are appropriate for the time. A detailed condition report is available on demand.
Part of Series: Birch's Heads.
Museums and Libraries: The British Museum. 1841,1211.81.
Art Movements, Periods & Schools: Dutch School XVIII C.
This entry incorporates text from Wikipedia and the catalog entry of the same item from The British Museum collection.