Artist (engraver): August Weger (German, 1823–1892), after Richard Evans (British, 1784–1871)
Place/Date: Leipzig, published after 1832; probably mid-19th century (c. 1845–1860)
Medium: Line engraving on steel with stipple; black ink on wove paper
Dimensions: image 187 × 144 mm; sheet 230 × 150 mm
Sitter: Count Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov [Семён Романович Воронцов] (Russian, 1744–1832) — diplomat, ambassador to Venice and to Great Britain (from 1784)
Printed inscriptions (lower margin):
Richd. Evans, Peintre. (left) — Gravé par A. Weger, Leipzig. (right)
Centre left (Russian): Графъ Семенъ Романовичь Воронцовъ. | Родился въ Москвѣ Июня 15/26 го 1744, | Скончался въ Лондонѣ Июня 9/21 го 1832.
Centre right (French): Le Comte Simon Woronzow. | né à Moscou le 26 Juin 1744, | Mort à Londres le 21 Juin 1832.
Coat of arms of the Vorontsov family between the language blocks.
Description: Three-quarter-length, full-front, seated in an upholstered armchair; legs crossed; a handkerchief on his lap, a snuffbox in his left hand; curtain backdrop with a landscape opening at right; orders and star on the breast; writing table with papers and instruments at the right edge.
Notes on technique & dating:
Rovinsky describes this plate as a burin engraving (“грав. резьб”) repeating Evans’s portrait in a reduced format; the earlier, larger version is an aquatint by Thomas Hodgetts, printed by Lahee & Co. (1820s–early 1830s). Weger’s authorship and his Leipzig imprint place this reduced plate in the mid-19th century. “Line engraving on steel with stipple” reflects the observed mixture of burin cross-hatching and dotted work in the flesh tones.
Catalogue Raisonné:
– Д. А. Ровинский, Подробный словарь русских гравированных портретов, vol. 1, pp. 539–540: № 2 (repeat of the preceding, smaller; engraved by A. Weger, Leipzig; dims given c. 6 11/12 × 5 3/4 in. ≈ 175.7 × 146.1 mm).
– Ibid.: № 1 (for comparison): aquatint by Thomas Hodgetts, after Evans; imprint Printed by Lahee & Co. (large format).
Additional Information
| Collection | European prints and drawings |
|---|---|
| Type / Purpose | Print , Works on paper |
| Period | 19 AD , Mid-19th century |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | French , Pre-Reform Russian Orthography , Russian |
| Media/Technique | Burin , Engraving , Paper , Steel engraving , Wove paper |
| Genre | Portrait , State portrait |
| Subject | 19th century , Ambassadors , Aristocracy (Social class) , Coat of arms , Diplomats , Engraving , Nobility , Portrait , Russian Empire , Russian art , Russian history , Seated portrait , Works on paper |
| Creation / Publishing year | Unknown |
| Acquisition year | 2019 |
Related Items
