294 - H. SNYERS (*1612) after BLOEMAERT (*1566), Portrait of Abraham Blomaert, Copper engraving

H. SNYERS (*1612) after BLOEMAERT (*1566), Portrait of Abraham Blomaert, Copper engraving Hendrick Snyers (around 1612 - after 1647 ) after Abraham Bloemaert (1566 - 1651 ibid.): Portrait of the painter Abraham Blomaert from *Het Gulden Cabinet*, 17th century, Copper engraving Technique: Copper engraving on Paper, mounted on Paper Impression Quality: A good, clearly defined print with rich black tones and well-preserved line definition; slight grey haze in the hatched areas of the background. Inscription: At the lower part signed in the printing plate: "Her. Blomaert delin. | Hen. Snyers sculpsit. | I Meyssens excudit". At the lower part inscribed in the printing plate: "ABRAHAM BLOMAERT". Date: 17th century Description: A portrait of the painter Abraham Blomaert as an elderly man, depicted in half-length after a right-facing pose. The subject is wearing a pleated millstone collar and a dark, buttoned robe. His curly, greying hair and short full beard lend his face a dignified expression. His right hand holds a drawing pen or brush, indicating his status as an artist. The modelling is done using delicate cross-hatching and parallel lines; the background is darkened by uniform hatching, against which the figure stands out in light. Below the illustration is a multi-line French inscription containing a number, name, biography and publisher’s details. This work is thought to originate from the anthology *Het Gulden Cabinet*, which contained a large number of artists’ portraits. Keywords: Abraham Blomaert; Portrait; Artist’s portrait; Engraving; Half-length portrait; Millstone collar; Drawing pen; Baroque; Netherlands; Hendrick Blomaert; Henricus Snyers; Jan Meyssens; Gorcum; 17th century; Engraver; Publisher; Inscription; Artist’s biography; 17th century; Baroque; Depiction of Artists; Netherlands; Size: Paper: 16,7 cm x 12,0 cm (6,6 x 4,7 in), Plate: 16,0 cm x 11,2 cm (6,3 x 4,4 in), Depiction: 13,4 cm x 10,4 cm (5,3 x 4,1 in) Condition: Rather good condition. Slight browning of the paper, a few small waterstains; a faint black mark in the bottom right-hand corner; three marks in the upper right-hand section: one on the figure’s left eye, two to the right of the figure; The sheet is slightly wavy and creased in the centre at the corners and margins due to mounting; brownish patches along the margins where the adhesive joints show through; backing paper with discolouration at the margins