Andries van Eertvelt. From Icones principum virorum ('The Iconography')

The Iconography (Icones principum virorum) is a very large series of portrait prints made after drawings and paintings by the famous Antwerp - and later international - court artist and painter, Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641). Eighteen prints were etched by the artist himself, although the majority are engravings made by a variety of printmakers: van Dyck found painting more profitable than printmaking. This compilation of portraits of princes, politicians, soldiers, statesmen, scholars, art connoisseurs and most importantly artists, a survey of the most distinguished men and women of his time, went through many editions.

At the time of van Dyck's premature death, there were 80 such prints (52 were of artists); in the late 18th century this had grown to over 200. The Iconography proved hugely influential as a commercial model for reproductive printmaking, and influenced portrait painting in turn. It only became superseded in the mid-19th century with the advent of photography.

While the original 18 'icons' are the most prized, especially in their early states, engraving was added by other hands, in many instances commissioned and approved by van Dyck himself and executed by highly skilled practitioners such as Paulus Pontius, Schelte Adamsz. Bolswert (as here), and Lucas Vorsterman. Sometimes his work is obscured by them, to the dismay of purist connoisseurs!

In art historical terms, van Dyck's own etchings are greatly admired. He was a brilliant technician, and his 'unfinished but complete' approach, where the heads are fully worked out but the costume and hands unfinished, is remarkably modern. This went on to influence portraitists of later centuries, particularly those who believed in 'bravura' and virtuosity, such as John Singer Sargent and Augustus John. Print expert Arthur Hind wrote: 'Portrait etching had scarcely had an existence before his time, and in his work it suddenly appears at the highest point ever reached in the art'.

This portrait of Andries van Eertvelt, possesses a baroque grandeur: the sitter could almost pass for a marine commander when in fact he made his name as a marine artist, as the Latin inscription indicates. His half-length portrait stands in front of a stormy seascape with a lurching ship in the distance. Van Eertfelt appears quite unperturbed by this. Turned sharply away to the right, he looks over his shoulder, and wears a small lace collar and lace cuffs, buttoned doublet and cloak, with a neat moustache and goatee. He is holding a scroll of paper in his right hand, possibly a marine chart. The impression is from the last of six states, with an enlarged coat touching the lower left border.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_van_Dyck

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art   September 2018