Kop van man met baard naar rechts

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso, gestempeld: Lugt 2233

Art Historical Context

Gilles Demarteau's *Kop van man met ba naar rechts* (Head of a Man with Beard Facing Right) is a striking 18th-century etching the thoughtful profile of a bearded man Produced during Demarteau's active years 1732 to 1776, this work measures 286 × 221 mm and exemplifies the Belgian engraver's mastery in printmaking. Demarteau a prominent figure in the Rococo era, was renowned for his reproductive prints after Old Masters like Rubens, blending technical precision with elegant line work to evoke character and depth. Etching, the medium here, involves coating a metal plate with an acid-resistant ground, scratching designs into it, and immersing it in acid to "bite" the lines. This intaglio technique allowed Demarteau to achieve rich tonal variations and expressive details in the man's beard, hair, and gaze, making prints accessible to collectors beyond original paintings. Such works were vital in disseminating artistic ideas across Europe during the Enlightenment. On the verso, a collector's mark (Lugt 2233) stamps its provenance, hinting at its value in prestigious 18th- and 19th-century collections. This piece invites us to ponder the anonymous subject's story while celebrating printmaking's role in democratizing art.

About the Artist

Gilles Demarteau · 1729–1776

Gilles Demarteau the Elder, born on January 19, 1722, in Liège, began his career steeped in the craft of metalwork. The son of a gunsmith, he learned engraving and goldsmithing from his father before moving to Paris around 1748–1750 to join his brother, who worked as a goldsmith for the engraver De Lacollombe, renowned for firearm ornament designs. Demarteau trained in De Lacollombe's workshop as ...