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Framed and on the wall
Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the piece could look; it is sold unframed unless the description says otherwise.
General Alfred Chanzy, French Military Commander, Antique Engraved Portrait
£125
$165 · €145
Original print, not a reproduction.
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- Date
- circa 1865-1880
- Condition
- Good. Good condition for its age. Light marking along the lower left edge; faint pencil numbering in the lower left margin. Please review the images for further condition details.
- Collection
- Uniforms & regiments
- Era
- 1816 to 1899, Empire and industry
- Stock no.
- BG-14343-16
An original antique engraved portrait of General Alfred Chanzy, French military commander.
Alfred Chanzy (1823 to 1883) commanded the French Army of the Loire in the war of 1870 and 1871, the most tenacious French resistance of that campaign, and was afterwards Governor General of Algeria and ambassador to Russia.
Engraving was the principal medium of the printed portrait for three centuries. The image is cut into a metal plate, inked and printed under heavy pressure, and the engraver builds up the form of a face through the spacing and swelling of the lines, which is why a well engraved portrait rewards close looking.
This sheet comes from a gathering of portraits from across Europe and across two and a half centuries, in engraving, etching and lithography. Portrait prints have been collected in their own right since the eighteenth century, when James Granger's Biographical History of England of 1769 set off a fashion for illustrating books with portraits of the people named in them, and they are still collected today for the sitter, for the maker and for the face itself.
A single portrait frames well in a narrow moulding with a generous mat, and a group of them hung together, whether by period, by profession or simply by the strength of the faces, makes one of the most satisfying walls there is for a study, a library, a landing or a dining room.
The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light marking along the lower left edge and a faint pencil number in the margin; the image itself is clean and strong.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
