Prince Rupert
1775
Medium
Mezzotint in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 47.1 × 35.7 cm (18 9/16 × 14 1/16 in.); Plate: 51 × 35.8 cm (20 1/8 × 14 1/8 in.); Sheet: 52.4 × 37.3 cm (20 11/16 × 14 11/16 in.)
Classification
mezzotint
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
45082
Art Historical Context
Valentine Green’s 1775 mezzint “Prince Rupert” presents a striking portrait of the celebrated seventeenth-century military leader and royal figure. Created during the height British printmaking’s popularity, the work transforms an earlier painted likeness into a widely distributable image, allowing viewers of Green’s time to connect with a figure from the English Civil War era. The medium itself is central to the print’s impact. Mezzotint, worked on cream laid paper, produces rich velvety blacks and delicate tonal gradations that capture the play of light across armor, lace, and expressive fe...