c.1700 – unknown – Cecilia Renata

Title:             Cecilia Renata ErtzHerzogin zu Österreich, Uladislao Königs in Pohlen Gemahlin
                       (Cecilia Renata, Archduchess of Austria, Consort of Władysław, King of Poland)
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Description:

This is an original German copper engraving of Cecilia Renata of Austria (1611–1644), daughter of Emperor Ferdinand II. In 1637 she married Władysław IV Vasa and became Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania. She was crowned in Warsaw on 12 September 1637, the first royal coronation ever held outside Kraków. She died in Vilnius on 24 March 1644, aged 32, the day after giving birth to a stillborn child. Her son, Prince Sigismund Casimir, died in 1647 at the age of seven.

She is shown half-length in an oval, with curled hair, a pearl necklace and a wide lace ruff. Her bodice is richly braided and finished with a jewelled collar. The oval sits on a finely ruled background, with the German caption engraved in calligraphic script beneath.

Author:                unknown
Sheet size:           12,0 × 17,1 cm
Year:                     c.1700
Technique:          copper engraving

Reference:          Digitaler Portraitindex, same portrait in framed versions (Austrian National Library, Vienna, PORT_00047356–60; Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Slg. Hansen, Polen 2°, Bd. 1, Nr. 14)

Condition:
Good. The impression is strong and clear, and the sheet is trimmed close to the engraved border. There is a red stain over “Pohlen” in the caption, a small spot on the face, and a small old ink mark in the lower right margin.

This is an original antique portrait published circa 1700 and NOT a modern copy or reprint

On your request I will provide a Certificate of Authenticity