892 - After BREDA (*1759), Portrait of James Watt, 1922, Mezzotint

After BREDA (*1759), Portrait of James Watt, 1922, Mezzotint After Carl Fredrik von Breda (1759 Stockholm, Sweden - 1818 ibid.): James Watt in thinker mode with technical drawings, 1922, Mezzotint Technique: Hand colored Mezzotint on Paper, rolled-on on Paper Stamp: Lower left Blind stamp, Unknown/not identified. Mark: "JIL". Inscription: Lower right signed: "[?]". Upper middle inscribed in the printing plate: "Published 1922 by the Museum Galleries 26 Museum Street London". Date: 1922 Description: This impressive portrait shows the Scottish inventor and engineer James Watt in a pensive pose at a table with technical sketches and drawing instruments. In dark clothing, with his head tilted slightly to one side and his chin propped up, the picture conveys his intellectual concentration and importance as a key figure in the Industrial Revolution. The finely graduated colouring and soft lighting emphasize his intellect, dignity and quiet grandeur - typical of representative portraits of important personalities of the late 18th century. Keywords: James Watt; Portrait; 1792; Industrial Revolution; Engineer; Inventor; Steam Engine; Technical Drawings; Enlightenment; Scotland; Science; Table Scene; Intellectual Pose; Classicism; Historical Personality; Thoughtfulness; Portrait of a Scholar; 18th Century; History of Technology; Invention; 20th century; Classicism; Portraits; United Kingdom; Size: Paper: 44,2 cm x 38,0 cm (17,4 x 15 in), Plate: 33,0 cm x 26,8 cm (13 x 10,6 in), Depiction: 30,2 cm x 24,0 cm (11,9 x 9,4 in) Condition: Rather good condition. The sheet is minimally discolored and foxed due to its age. The edges have been trimmed smooth. Several pinholes in the lower area of the sheet support, a small one at the lower edge of the image. A hole from an old mount on the right and left edge. Vertical crease along the right margin. Curvature around the upper edge, taped from the back. Graphic in good condition, with well-preserved colors and soft transitions. Tiny pinhole in lower margin. Verso with scattered adhesive residue and smudges.