James Cooke

Art Historical Context

This engraving by Robert White presents a portrait of James Cooke, created between 1601 and 1650. As a print medium, engraving involves incising fine lines into a metal plate, allowing for precise detail and multiple impressions. This technique made portraits widely accessible during the early modern period, serving both documentary and commemorative purposes. The modest sheet size of 15.9 by 10.7 centimeters indicates it was likely intended for book illustration or private collection. Robert White’s work reflects the era’s growing interest in reproducible imagery, helping to preserve the lik...

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...