William Harry Warren Bicknell’s etching, “Portrait of an Elderly Woman Praying at a Table”, 1914, after Nicolaes Maes

William Harry Warren Bicknell (1860–1947)

“Portrait of an Elderly Woman Praying at a Table”, 1914, hand-signed in pencil, proof-state impression, after Nicolaes Maes’ (1634-1693) painting, “The Prayer Without End” (aka “Old Woman Saying Grace”), c1656, in the collection of the Rijksmuseum (inv. no. SK-C-535).

Regarding the portrayed subject, the Rijksmuseum offers the following insights: (Transl.) “An old woman prays devoutly before eating her meal. She does not let the begging cat tugging impatiently on the tablecloth distract her. The virtue of the old woman lies in her self-control and sense of duty to God. Just like his teacher Rembrandt, Maes focuses attention on the essence of the scene through restricted lighting” (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.8948).

Etching on handmade wove paper (Normandy Vellum) with wide margins and scratch lettering, hand- signed by the artist in pencil at lower right.

Size: (sheet) 44.7 x 33.1 cm; (plate) 32.5 x 24.3 cm; (image borderline) 26.5 x 21.3 cm.

Inscribed in plate below the image borderline: (left) “W H W Bicknell sc 1914”.

Signed in pencil by the artist below the image borderline at right.

Condition: a rich and near faultless impression with generously wide margins. There is a mark in the margin at left, otherwise the sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds or foxing.

I am selling this very beautiful etching after Nicolaes Maes’ Rembrandtesque painting of a woman saying grace—note the wonderful note of distraction to the gravitas of the scene in the form of an inquisitive cat at lower right—for AU$248 (currently US$176.37/EUR156.26/GBP133.49 at the time of posting this print) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this masterwork of etching—note how the etcher gives life to the shadows with small rhythms of line and his skill in creating an exceptionally subtle transition from darkness to light—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.