Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

George Vertue was born in the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London. His parents served in the court of James II and his father may have later become a tailor. He was first apprenticed to a silver engraver and later to Flemish engraver Michael Vandergucht. His early work includes plates after Kneller, whose academy he attended from 1711. Vertue served as official engraver to the Society of Antiquaries (1717-56). In the 1720s he concentrated on portrait frontispieces, producing over 120 in total. From 1727 he was engraver to Oxford University. Vertue was also a publisher and ran a print shop near Drury Lane. In 1712 he began gathering information for a publication on the history of art in Britain, which remained unfinished at his death.

People

Elizabeth I

Places

Subjects

female portrait, royal portrait, Queen

Materials & Techniques

engraving

Artist

George Vertue (1684 - 1756)
Isaac Oliver (c1565 - 1617)

Title

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) Reigned 1558-1603

Date

Medium

Engraving

Acquisition

Purchased from F B Daniell, September 1972

GAC number

9715