Georg Friedrich Schmidt’s engraving, “Pierre Mignard”, 1744, after Hyacinthe Rigaud

Georg Friedrich Schmidt (1712–1775)

“Pierre Mignard”, 1744, after a portrait of the artist and Director of the Académie de Paris, Pierre (“Le Romain”) Mignard (1612–1695), painted in 1691 by Hyacinthe Rigaud (aka Hyacinthe Rigau y Ros; Híacint Francesc Honrat Mathias Pere Martyr Andreu Joan Rigau; Hyacinthe François Honorat Mathias Pierre André Rigaud) (1659–1743).

Engraving on laid paper trimmed around the image borderline and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (support sheet) 54 x 38.8 cm; (sheet) 50.2 x 36.6 cm; (inner image borderline) 42 x 32 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: “Pierre Mignard,/ Ecuyer, Premier Peintre du Roy, Directeur & Chancelier en/ son Académie de Peinture & de Sculpture.” (Transl. “Pierre Mignard,/ Esquire, First Painter of the Roy, Director & Chancellor in/ his Academy of Painting & Sculpture”).

State iii (of v), lifetime impression with the addition of lettered title and publication details, but before the addition of the text of the fourth state: “Peint par son Ami, Hyacinthe Rigaud en 1691 […] gravé par Geroge-Frederic Schmidt par sa récéption a l'Académie, en 1744” ([transl.] Painted by his friend, Hyacinthe Rigaud in 1691, engraved in Paris by Georges-Frederic Schmidt, for his reception to the Academy in 1744).

Crayen 59 (Auguste Guillaume Crayen 1789, “Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre de feu George Fréderic Schmidt, graveur du roi de Prusse, membre des Académies royales de peinture de Berlin et de Paris, et de l'Académie impériale de St. Petersbourg”, A Londres [i.e., Leipzig?], p. 30, cat. no. 59; see https://archive.org/details/catalogueraison00craygoog/page/n62/mode/2up); Wessely 70 (Joseph Eduard Wessely, 1887, “Georg Friedrich Schmidt. Verzeichniss seiner stiche und radirungen, beschrieben”, Hamburg, Haendcke & Lehmkuhl, pp. 31–32, cat. no. 70; see https://archive.org/details/georgfriedrichsc00wess/page/n73/mode/2up).

Note that there is an oversight (now reported) by the British Museum in the description of this print giving an incorrect title and other details (relating to Crayen, 1789, cat. no. 58) which should be ignored (see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1838-1215-101) and the correct description of the lettered state is as follows: “Portrait of Pierre Mignard three-quarter length; seated in an armchair; holding a portfolio in his right hand and a pencil in his left; drapery in the background; after Rigaud; lettered state 1744 Engraving” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_R-7-19).

Condition: a strong impression with no significant stains or foxing (but there may be restorations that I have not noticed) trimmed around the image borderline and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this lifetime impression of large masterwork of engraving, for the total cost of AU$310 (currently US$207.20/EUR187.48/GBP165.03 at the time of this listing) 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 acclaimed engraving by Georg Friedrich Schmidt —described in Crayen’s (1789) catalogue raisonné of Schmidt’s work as his “[transl.] masterpiece … for the beauty of the burin work” (p. 30) — please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold