Portrait of Mehdi Quli Beg
| Reference: | S40261.3 |
| Author | Aegidius SADELER II |
| Year: | 1605 |
| Measures: | 180 x 291 mm |
€900.00
| Reference: | S40261.3 |
| Author | Aegidius SADELER II |
| Year: | 1605 |
| Measures: | 180 x 291 mm |
€900.00
Description
Engraving, 1605, lettered in Persian and Latin, “Mechti Kvli Beg Ennvg Ogly Illvstris D. In Persia Legatvs Regis Persar: Ad Imp: Roman”, (Mehdi Quli Beg, son of Ennug, a famous lord in Persia, ambassador of the King of the Persians to the Roman Emperor), and “S.Caes. Mti.s Sculptor Aegidius Sadeler ad viuum delineauit Cum Privil.S.Cae. Mti.s Anno. Pragae.1605”.
First state before publisher's address.
Good example, printed on contemporary laid paper, applied on collector’s old paper support, trimmed at margins, occasional foxing, otherwise very good condition.
Engraved portrait of Mehdi Quli Beg (d. 1629), ambassador of Shah Abbas I to the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, half-length and slightly turned to left, a bird (probably a falcon) perched on his right hand, in oriental dress and wearing a turban.
Zeynal Khan Shamlu, and later, Mehdi Quli Beg, were amongst seven ambassadors sent by Shah 'Abbas to European courts, as part of his attempt to enlist Christian cooperation in confronting the Ottomans with a multi-front threat. The ongoing war in Hungary had led to financial strains, internal revolts and a decline in loyalty of Ottoman troops; to 'Abbas these troubles signalled that the Ottoman adversary had been weakened to the point where his revived Persian army could reclaim the territory lost in the previous war. Zeynal Khan Shamlu departed in mid-1603 and arrived in Prague on 19th July 1604 to much fanfare. He and his party of 30 servants were given an escort of over one thousand men, mounted and on foot. Mehdi Quli Beg arrived later, in December, updating Rudolf on the situation. After endless debate and vacillation, Rudolf elected to begin peace negotiations with the Ottomans. All this meant that the Persian ambassadors were fixtures in Prague until October 1605, and were doubtless regarded as exotic figures (which is obvious from the insistence on using Persian for the prints, which no one in Prague could read and which would have taken some effort to reproduce).
Literature
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Hollstein 275.I
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Aegidius SADELER II (Anversa, 1570 circa - Praga, 1629).
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The SADELER: Flemish family of artists, active throughout Europe. For three generations this family of engravers, publishers and print-sellers played a dominant role in European graphic art, producing work of great variety and high quality. They were descended from a line of steel-chisellers from Aalst . Jan de Saeyelleer (Sadeleer) had three sons, Jan Sadeler I, Aegidius Sadeler I and Raphael Sadeler I, the first generation of engravers, publishers and print-sellers. The religious and political uncertainties of the time forced them to emigrate, and they worked in Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Venice and Prague. The next generation followed in their footsteps, of whom Aegidius Sadeler II, who worked for Rudolf II and his successors, was the most notable. Justus Sadeler, the son of Jan Sadeler I, and the three sons of Raphael Sadeler I—Jan Sadeler II, Raphael Sadeler II and Filips Sadeler—were lesser artists but continued the family tradition. The third generation was represented by Tobias Sadeler (fl Vienna, 1670–75), son of Aegidius Sadeler II; he executed engravings for topographical books. AEGIUDIUS SADELER II Engraver, draughtsman and painter, son of Aegidius Sadeler I. Around 1579 he went with his uncle Jan Sadeler I to Cologne and later, c. 1588, to Munich. None of the Sadelers ever definitely returned to their home district. In 1585 Aegidius was listed as a pupil of Jan Sadeler I in the records of the Antwerp Guild of St Luke. In the first half of his career Aegidius regularly engraved the work of Hans von Aachen, Christoph Schwarz, Peter Candid and Marten de Vos. Among the most important engravings are the series of scenes from the New Testament, the Salus generi humani, the Nativity, the Holy Family with St Anne and Two Angels after von Aachen, the Crucifixion between the Two Thieves after Schwarz, the series of the Four Fathers of the Church after Candid and the series of the Story of David after de Vos.
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Literature
|
Hollstein 275.I
|
Aegidius SADELER II (Anversa, 1570 circa - Praga, 1629).
|
The SADELER: Flemish family of artists, active throughout Europe. For three generations this family of engravers, publishers and print-sellers played a dominant role in European graphic art, producing work of great variety and high quality. They were descended from a line of steel-chisellers from Aalst . Jan de Saeyelleer (Sadeleer) had three sons, Jan Sadeler I, Aegidius Sadeler I and Raphael Sadeler I, the first generation of engravers, publishers and print-sellers. The religious and political uncertainties of the time forced them to emigrate, and they worked in Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Venice and Prague. The next generation followed in their footsteps, of whom Aegidius Sadeler II, who worked for Rudolf II and his successors, was the most notable. Justus Sadeler, the son of Jan Sadeler I, and the three sons of Raphael Sadeler I—Jan Sadeler II, Raphael Sadeler II and Filips Sadeler—were lesser artists but continued the family tradition. The third generation was represented by Tobias Sadeler (fl Vienna, 1670–75), son of Aegidius Sadeler II; he executed engravings for topographical books. AEGIUDIUS SADELER II Engraver, draughtsman and painter, son of Aegidius Sadeler I. Around 1579 he went with his uncle Jan Sadeler I to Cologne and later, c. 1588, to Munich. None of the Sadelers ever definitely returned to their home district. In 1585 Aegidius was listed as a pupil of Jan Sadeler I in the records of the Antwerp Guild of St Luke. In the first half of his career Aegidius regularly engraved the work of Hans von Aachen, Christoph Schwarz, Peter Candid and Marten de Vos. Among the most important engravings are the series of scenes from the New Testament, the Salus generi humani, the Nativity, the Holy Family with St Anne and Two Angels after von Aachen, the Crucifixion between the Two Thieves after Schwarz, the series of the Four Fathers of the Church after Candid and the series of the Story of David after de Vos.
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