| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | Jacobus Houbraken |
| Published | Impensis J & P Knapton Londini, 1747. |
| Dimensions | Image 360 x 221 mm, Plate 367 x 227 mm, Sheet 493 x 337 mm |
| Notes |
Portrait of Elizabeth of York, set within an oval inscribed with her title, turned to the right, and with her left hand across her chest. She wears an ermine trimmed gown, an embellished headdress over her hair, and a necklace with a large, jewelled pendant. Below the portrait, her marriage to Henry VII, presided over by a priest and courtiers, is presented in a frieze. Cupid leans upon the frieze, pulling a curtain away to reveal the image, whilst also holding his arrows in his left hand. Upon the floor are roses, a mask, and a serpent. This portrait of Elizabeth of York is from Thomas Birch's The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain. The portraits featured in the series, which were engraved by Jacob Houbraken and George Vertue, were originally issued from 1737 onwards in portfolios of four portraits. Between 1743 and 1752, the series was published by John and Paul Knapton in London in the form of Birch's The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain, and contained biographies alongside the portraits. The number of plates included varied from edition to edition. Although the majority contained 108 plates, some editions contained as many as 120. Houbraken was responsible for producing a large proportion of the portraits, with Vertue only engraving around seven. The ornamental surroundings featured on the plates were engraved prior to the portraits, and were done so by Hubert-François Gravelot. Elizabeth of York (1466 - 1503), as the wife of Henry VII, was queen consort of England from 1486 until her death in 1503. She was also the first Tudor queen. Jacob, or Jacobus, Houbraken (1698-1780) was a Dutch portrait engraver, and dealer and collector of Rembrandt's etchings. Born in Dordrecht, he was the son of the artist Arnold Houbraken. In 1707 he moved to Amsterdam, where he assisted his father on a book of the lives of the Dutch Golden Age artists, entitled De Groote Schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen (1718-1721). Between 1743 and 1752, Houbraken worked with George Vertue on Thomas Birch's Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain. He also engraved the portraits for Jan van Gool's Nieuwe schouburg der Nederlantsche kunstschilders (1750-51). Between 1752 and 1759, he worked on Jan Wagenaar's Vaderlandsche historie, which was published by Isaac Tirion. O'Donoghue 6, Ver Huell 82 Condition: Discolouration to sheet, likely from an acidic mount., although not affecting image. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £50.00 |
| Stock ID | 40102 |