Portrait of Jobst Wilhelm Ebner von Eschenbach (1686-1755)
Artist
Valentin Daniel Preisler (German, 1717 – 1765)
after :
Jan Kupecký (Czech, 1667 – 1740)
Date
1745Medium
MezzotintDimensions
Sheet : 15 1/2 x 11 3/4 in. (39.37 x 29.85 cm)
Mat : 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.64 cm)Credit Line
Gift of Arthur and Kristine RossofObject Number
2017.69.2
Label
Although the mezzotint process was invented by German artist Ludwig von Siegen, the technique was slow to gain popularity in Germany due to a lack of strong financial support from both publishers and collectors. This mezzotint print of a young German nobleman dressed as a hunter is based on a portrait painted by the Czech artist Jan Kupecký, who was also known by his Germanized name: Johann Kupetzky. It was created by Valentin Daniel Preisler, who belonged to a large family of artists active in Nuremburg, Germany during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The inscription in Latin below the image comes from the Roman poet Virgil and may be translated: “Let Pallas inhabit the cities she has built, but let the woods be our supreme delight.”
