Reverend Père Antoine Verjus – French Jesuit Missionary Portrait, c.1790

Father Dominique Parrenin – Jesuit Missionary in China, Portrait by Portier, c.1790 This fine late 18th-century engraving depicts Father Dominique Parrenin (1665–1741), a French Jes...

Antique portrait titled 'P. Constantinus Suyskenus'. Old print of Constantinys Suyskenus, Belgian hagiographer and church historian. This print most likely originates from a volume o...

This is an early 18th century portrait of Sir John Powell entitled "The Honorable Sr. John Powell, Knight. one of the Justices of her Majesties' Court of Common Pleas. Ano. D 1711". It was engraved and published by John King in London in 1711, after an earlier work by William Sherwin. The engraving depicts a bust length portrait of Powell wearing an elaborate fir-trimmed robe and collar. The portrait is encompassed in an ornate oval frame, sitting on a pedestal with an impressive coat-of-arms below. This engraved portrait is printed on laid, chain-linked watermarked cream-colored paper The sheet measures 15.25" high and 11.38" wide. It is adhered to an archival thick card at the upper corners, There is a 1/8" tear at the lower edge of the sheet, but the print is otherwise in very good condition. This engraving is held by museums and institutions, including the British Museum and the Harvard University Art Museum. Sir John Powell (1632-1696) was an English lawyer and judge who served as a justice of the King's Bench from 1683 until his death. He was born in Glamorganshire, Wales, and studied at Jesus College, Oxford, before being called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1656. Powell was known for his staunch support of the monarchy and the Church of England, and he played a prominent role in the trial of the Whig leader Lord William Russell in 1683, which resulted in Russell's execution for his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate King Charles II. Powell was also involved in the trials of several other prominent Whig politicians, including Algernon Sidney and Titus Oates. In addition to his work as a judge, Powell was also a member of Parliament for various constituencies throughout his career, and he served as Solicitor General and Attorney General for Wales under King James II. However, he opposed James's efforts to promote Catholicism and supported the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which led to James's overthrow and the installation of William and Mary as joint monarchs. Powell was known for his intellectual rigor and his legal expertise, and he authored several influential legal treatises during his lifetime. He was widely respected by his peers and by the legal community as a whole, and his legacy as a jurist and judge continues to be celebrated today. William Sherwin (1645-1709) was an English engraver who worked during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and is known for his high-quality engravings of various subjects, including portraits, landscapes, and architectural views. Sherwin was trained as an engraver and worked as an apprentice to the renowned engraver Robert White. After completing his training, he went on to establish his own studio in London, where he produced a significant body of work over the course of his career. One of Sherwin's most famous works is his engraving of the portrait of John Locke...

Anton Maria Zanetti is a beautiful original etching and burin on laid paper, realized by the Spanish artist Joannes de Plano (active in 1770-1780), as the inscription reports aroind the oval portrait. Below image, at left the inscription: Anton: Mariae Zanetti se ipsum delineavit; below image, at right: Joannes de Plano sculpsit; below image, at center: Anton Mariae Zanetti Alexandr: f: / Artis Pictoriae, at Linguae Graecae peritiss: / Per XLII annos a publ: D. Marci Bibliotheca benemerenti / Hic dormit in Domino / Ano LXXIII Aetatis suae...