Engraving
1656 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This print is an engraving. The image is made by cutting lines into the surface of a flat piece of metal, inking the plate and then transferring the ink held in the lines onto a sheet of paper.
Subjects Depicted
It is a plate from the book Parallelum Olivae nec non Olivarii... (1656), by Louis de Gand. The book contains 13 essays on Oliver Cromwell praising his mercy, benignity and wisdom. The print shows Cromwell on horseback, dressed in armour, at the scene of a battle. This image follows the pose used by the Spanish painter Diego Velasquez (1599-1660) in his equestrian portraits, in particular of the great minister, the Count-Duke of Olivares. Cromwell is explicitly presented as a military leader in this image.
The background of the print touches on the realities of warfare. Smoke from artillery firing from high ground can be seen in the background left and right. In the middle distance troops are drawn up in pre-battle formation and in the near distance, in the plain below Cromwell, the chaos of hand-to-hand fighting is depicted. On the left is a cavalry skirmish and on the right a clash of pikeman. Some indication of the injury, suffering and death that accompanies war is given by the bodies strewn across the battlefield.
People
By 1656, when the book was printed, Oliver Cromwell was clearly established as Head of State. There were several laudatory collections published during this period celebrating his great achievements and wisdom.
This print is an engraving. The image is made by cutting lines into the surface of a flat piece of metal, inking the plate and then transferring the ink held in the lines onto a sheet of paper.
Subjects Depicted
It is a plate from the book Parallelum Olivae nec non Olivarii... (1656), by Louis de Gand. The book contains 13 essays on Oliver Cromwell praising his mercy, benignity and wisdom. The print shows Cromwell on horseback, dressed in armour, at the scene of a battle. This image follows the pose used by the Spanish painter Diego Velasquez (1599-1660) in his equestrian portraits, in particular of the great minister, the Count-Duke of Olivares. Cromwell is explicitly presented as a military leader in this image.
The background of the print touches on the realities of warfare. Smoke from artillery firing from high ground can be seen in the background left and right. In the middle distance troops are drawn up in pre-battle formation and in the near distance, in the plain below Cromwell, the chaos of hand-to-hand fighting is depicted. On the left is a cavalry skirmish and on the right a clash of pikeman. Some indication of the injury, suffering and death that accompanies war is given by the bodies strewn across the battlefield.
People
By 1656, when the book was printed, Oliver Cromwell was clearly established as Head of State. There were several laudatory collections published during this period celebrating his great achievements and wisdom.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Engraving, ink on paper |
| Brief description | Engraving of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) |
| Physical description | Engraving |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Signed 'G: Faithorne fec:.' |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Edgar Seligman |
| Object history | Engraved and signed by William Faithorne (born in London, possibly in 1616, died there in 1691); published in London |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type This print is an engraving. The image is made by cutting lines into the surface of a flat piece of metal, inking the plate and then transferring the ink held in the lines onto a sheet of paper. Subjects Depicted It is a plate from the book Parallelum Olivae nec non Olivarii... (1656), by Louis de Gand. The book contains 13 essays on Oliver Cromwell praising his mercy, benignity and wisdom. The print shows Cromwell on horseback, dressed in armour, at the scene of a battle. This image follows the pose used by the Spanish painter Diego Velasquez (1599-1660) in his equestrian portraits, in particular of the great minister, the Count-Duke of Olivares. Cromwell is explicitly presented as a military leader in this image. The background of the print touches on the realities of warfare. Smoke from artillery firing from high ground can be seen in the background left and right. In the middle distance troops are drawn up in pre-battle formation and in the near distance, in the plain below Cromwell, the chaos of hand-to-hand fighting is depicted. On the left is a cavalry skirmish and on the right a clash of pikeman. Some indication of the injury, suffering and death that accompanies war is given by the bodies strewn across the battlefield. People By 1656, when the book was printed, Oliver Cromwell was clearly established as Head of State. There were several laudatory collections published during this period celebrating his great achievements and wisdom. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1960: Volume 2, Edgar Seligman Gift. London: HMSO, 1966. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.972-1960 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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