Margaret, Princess of Lorraine. 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 It only became superseded in the mid-19th century with the advent of photography.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'.

While most of Te Papa's holdings of Iconography prints are of artists, they also include Spanish general and courtier Emanuel Frockas, Count of Feria (1869-0001-111) and here Margaret (Marguerite), Princess of Lorraine (1615-72). Given the title Duchess of Orléans, she was the wife of Gaston, younger brother of Louis XIII of France. As Gaston had married her in secret in 1632 in defiance of the King; the angry Louis had their marriage nullified when it became known. On his deathbed in 1643, Louis permitted them to marry, and five legitimate children ensued. In the print, which closely relates to van Dyck's painting of the still teenage Margaret in the Uffizi, Florence (1634), she gestures towards her stomach in a way that is both dignified yet maternal. She wears pearls at her (low) neckline, adding to her regal allure.

This impression, engraved by Bolswert, is from the second of four states and therefore almost certainly dates from van Dyck's lifetime.

See:

Wikipedia, 'Marguerite of Lorraine', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_of_Lorraine

Wikipedia, 'Anthony van Dyck',  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_van_Dyck

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art   September 2018