5338 - Nadorp, Franz Johann Heinrich

Nadorp, Franz Johann Heinrich Profile portrait of a seated man viewed from the left, presumably a friend. Etching. 28.5 x 21.4 cm. (1838). On the reverse, possibly inscribed in pencil in the artist’s own hand: “To my dear friend De Francesco as we part in Rome / 1838.” Georges Duplessis, *Catalogue de la collection des portraits français et étrangers*, IV, (1899), p. 51, 16479. An inscription on the reverse of this sheet, likely in the artist’s own hand, identifies the subject as a friend of Nadorp’s in Rome, to whom the sheet is dedicated as a farewell: “Al caro amico De Francesco nel dividerci in Roma / 1838.” The Nazarene-style profile portrait, with its long hair and loose-fitting cloak, likely depicts an artist friend; Duplessis lists it under “Francesco.” Nadorp created numerous portraits of the Roman artistic community, which bear witness to his talent as a portraitist. Among the artists in Rome, he was regarded as a creative “universal genius” as well as an “eccentric”; was among the founders of the Roman Artists’ Association in 1829 and of the German Artists’ Association in 1845, serving as its first vice president until 1846. The complete works of this gifted and versatile artist have yet to be adequately cataloged. As the entry in Duplessis suggests, likely before the text and date. An excellent, clear, and crisp print with a fine margin, narrow at the bottom. A small crease in the upper left and lower right corners, slightly dusty, minor signs of wear, and additional small pencil annotations on the reverse; otherwise, very nicely preserved. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.