| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | William Faithorne |
| Published | [1645 but 1821 impression] |
| Dimensions | Image 115 x 93 mm, Sheet 158 x 94 mm |
| Notes |
A half-length portrait of Josiah Ricraft, wearing a gown with flat lace collar, seated at a writing desk, his coat of arms to the top left, and behind him a window with a view of the sea and three ships. Used as a frontispiece to Ricraft's "Peculiar characters of the oriental languages" in 1645 and his "A Survey of England's Champions and Truth's Faithful Patriots" in 1649, but the watermark of this print shows it is a later reprinting. Inscription to lower margin: "Of all the Gods must ... Ricrafts Broves w:th fragrant Bayes" Josiah Ricraft (fl. 1645) merchant and author of several books on presbyterian principles and a variety of other subjects. William Faithorne (c. 1620-1691) was an English engraver and draughtsman. He apprenticed first to painter and printseller Robert Peake and later to engraver John Payne. Faithorne was imprisoned and then exiled as a royalist during the Civil Wars. By 1652 however, he had returned to London and able to establish his own print shop, thanks to his close links with the international print trade. In addition to selling prints, he continued to work as a printer and engraver, and published "The Art of Graving and Etching in 1662". On the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Faithorne was appointed copper engraver to the king. One of his sons, also named William Faithorne, became a mezzotint engraver. O'Donoghue 1 Condition: Good impression. Trimmed to image and below inscription. Later printing on 1821 watermarked paper. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £35.00 |
| Stock ID | 46079 |