Pieter Van Bleeck (1700-1764)
Phebe
London: 1747
Mezzotint
11.75 x 9.75 inches, image
15.25 x 11 inches, overall
$375
Aristocratic Portrait
British Mezzotint, 1747
British Mezzotint, 1747
A fine portrait of a well-to-do mid-18th-century British woman, wearing a beautifully detailed lace collar. The soft gradations are the result of the mezzotint process.
Pieter (or Peter) Van Bleeck, was a British portrait painter and mezzotint engraver, the son of Richard Van Bleeck, also a portrait painter. Many of his subjects were associated with the theatre -- actors, actresses and playwrights. Several of his portraits are in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco have some of his mezzotints as well.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual toning, wear, soiling, soft creases. A rich impression. Margins trimmed as is often the case with separately issued 18th century mezzotint portraits. Still plate mark present and margins ample.