Explore: John, I Faber

(c.1660 - 1721)

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.