Antique Engraving, 17th Century Portrait French Churchman 1693, Gérard Edelinck

Gérard Edelinck – Portrait of Jean-Baptiste-Michel Colbert – 1693

Jean-Baptiste-Michel Colbert de Saint-Pouange was a French man of the cloth. Born in Paris in 1640, appointed councillor-clerk in the Paris parliament since April 1, 1667, he became, on August 3, 1668, a canon "of this Church", and was ordained on October 5, 1670. He was appointed by King Louis XIV the diocese of Montauban on November 22, 1674. There he worked on the construction of a new general hospital "Hôtel-Dieu" in the north of the city, and began the construction of the new cathedral. He also completed the construction of a new diocese (the current Ingres Museum), which served as the episcopal palace until 1790. Appointed Archbishop of Toulouse on August 15, 1687, he established the Sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul there, and the Saint-Lazare Mission Seminary. In 1680, he began the construction of the new archiepiscopal palace of Toulouse. He died on July 11, 1710, in Paris.

Gérard Edelinck born October 20, 1640 in Antwerp (Belgium) was a French engraver of Flemish origin. He was an apprentice of Gaspar Huberti (Huybrechts) and of Cornelius Galle the Younger, a renowned engraver from Antwerp. He moved to Paris where he studied and worked under the wing of well-known artists such as the painters Philippe de Champaigne and Charles Le Brun and the engraver Robert Nanteuil. Named by Louis XIV Knight of the Order of Saint Michel and Engraver of the King, he was already a professor at the small academy created at the Gobelins factory for the instruction of upholsterers. In 1672, he married Madeleine Reguesson, Nantreuil’s niece, with Charles le Brun and Philippe de Champaigne as witnesses. Gérard Edelinck was one of the most remarkable engravers of the 18th century and made a significant contribution to the art of engraving. It was he who first substituted diamond-shaped dimensions for square dimensions and who infused engravings with colour. He treated the works he reproduced with a little more realism, but preserved the softness of the art of Nanteuil. His output totals over 300 pieces. Edelinck died in Paris on April 2, 1707, at the age of 66.

Sources: Archives généalogiques et historiques de la noblesse de France, vol. 3,1830; Benezit Dictionary of Artists; Archives de France.

Artist: Gérard Edelinck (1640-1707).
Signed et dated: G. Edelinck Sculp. 1693.
Medium: Etching on paper glued to cardboard.
Condition: Very good condition.
Dimensions: 26.5 x 21 cm / 10 ½ x 8 ¼ in. (sheet); 25 x 20 cm. / 9 ¾ x 8 in. (view).
Frame: 38 x 31 cm. / 15 x 12 ¼ in. Carved wood, very good condition.
Origin: France.

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