Portrait of a Young Woman said to be Elizabeth I (1533-1603)

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

The portrait cannot be by Hans Holbein (he died in 1543) nor of Queen Elizabeth (born 1533); the style and costume clearly date to the 1590s-1610s.

John Faber I was born at The Hague and worked as a portrait miniaturist in the Netherlands until at least 1696. By 1698 he had settled in London. He began to experiment with mezzotint engraving and, by 1707, established a printselling business in the Strand. Faber produced a wide range of engraved portraits, including those of clergy and Jacobites, and four portraits of Charles I. He also made series of portraits such as ‘Twelve Ancient Philosophers’, after Rubens. From 1711 to 1712 he collaborated with engraver George Vertue on a project to engrave portraits in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and he later made a series of founders of Oxford and Cambridge colleges. His son was engraver John Faber (c.1695-1756). He died in Bristol, aged c.61.

People

unknown woman

Places

Subjects

Materials & Techniques

mezzotint

Artist

16th century unknown
John, I Faber (c.1660 - 1721)

Title

Portrait of a Young Woman said to be Elizabeth I (1533-1603)

Date

1742

Medium

Mezzotint

Dimensions

height: 51.3 cm, width: 36.4 cm

Acquisition

Transferred from HM Revenue and Customs, 2017

Provenance

Bequest of Sir Ernest Clark to the Inland Revenue, 1951 (received 1972); transferred to GAC, 2017

GAC number

10378