| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | Jacobus Houbraken |
| Published | Impensis J. & P. Knapton Londini 1746 |
| Dimensions | Image 357x 218 mm, Plate 372 x 227 mm, Sheet 491 x 333 mm |
| Notes |
Portrait of Jane Seymour, direct to the left, wearing an embellished gown with a square neckline, and a gable headdress with a veil falling over her right shoulder. The portrait is set within an inscribed oval, and upon a pedestal which features a frieze that depicts the birth of her son, Edward VI. A putto sits before the pedestal, with his back turned, weeping over a scythe. Upon the pedestal is a running hourglass, and set to the right of the image is a large urn. This portrait of Jane Seymour is from Thomas Birch's The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain. The series, which was engraved by Jacob Houbraken and George Vertue, was 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. Jane Seymour (c.1508 - 1537) was the third wife of King Henry VIII, and was Queen of England between 1536 and 1537. Less than two weeks after the birth of their child, Jane died of postnatal complications. Their son went on to reign as King Edward VI. Jane was the only wife of Henry to receive a queen's funeral, and his only consort to be buried by his side. 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 9, Ver Huell 85 Condition: Faint discolouration to sheet, likely from an acidic mount., although not affecting image. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £80.00 |
| Stock ID | 40106 |