James Cooke
published 1676
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 15.1 × 9.5 cm (5 15/16 × 3 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1951.11.836
Art Historical Context
This engraving by Robert White, published in 1676, presents a portrait of James Cooke in a compact format measuring just over 5 by 3 inches. Created during the Restoration period in England, such prints served as accessible means of capturing and circulating likenesses of notable figures, allowing wider audiences to engage with contemporary personalities beyond the elite circles that commissioned paintings. White was among the leading English engravers of his time, specializing in precise line work that translated the textures of clothing, hair, and facial features onto copper plates. The med...
About the Artist
Robert White · 1645–1703
Robert White was a British engraver and draughtsman born in London in 1645, who became one of the most accomplished portrait engravers working in England during the latter decades of the seventeenth century. He trained under David Loggan, the Polish-born engraver who was among the dominant figures of portrait printmaking in Restoration England, and from Loggan he acquired both the technical master...