| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | William Faithorne after Wenceslaus Hollar |
| Published | c. 1657 |
| Dimensions | Image 108 x 75 mm, Plate 134 x 77 mm, Sheet 133 x 78 mm |
| Notes |
A half length portrait of William Oughtred, looking slightly right at the viewer, wearing skull-cap, collar and gown, and holding book in his right hand. This portrait is a frontispiece to Oughtred's 'Trigonometria' (1657). William Oughtred (March 5, 1574- JUne 30, 1660) was an English mathematician and Anglican minister. Amongst his mathematical achievements were the first person to use logarithmic scales or slide rules to do multiplication and division and he is credited as the inventor of the slide rule in 1622. Oughtred also introduced the "×" symbol for multiplication as well as the abbreviations "sin" and "cos" for the sine and cosine functions. William Faithorne (c. 1620-1691) was an engraver and draughtsman. He apprenticed first to printseller Robert Peake and then to engraver John Payne, Faithorne was captured during the civil wars, imprisoned, and exiled as a royalist. By 1652, Faithorne had returned to London. His close links with the international print trade enabled him to establish his own print shop. 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 engraver in copper to the king. One of his sons, also named William Faithorne, was a mezzotint engraver. Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) left his native Prague in 1627. He spent several years travelling and working in Germany before his patron, the Earl of Arundel brought him to London in 1636. During the civil wars, Hollar fought on the Royalist side, after which he spent the years 1644-52 in Antwerp. Hollar's views of London form an important record of the city before the Great Fire of 1666. He was prolific and engraved a wide range of subjects, producing nearly 2,800 prints, numerous watercolours and many drawings. O'Donoghue 2, New Hollstein (German) 868 a ii/ii, Pennington 1477 (after), Fagan 52 second state Ex. Col.: The Allen Library, stamp on verso of album page. Condition: Trimmed to plate mark and tipped to an album page. Some light overall surface dirt. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £65.00 |
| Stock ID | 40353 |