George Villiers, First Duke of Buckingham
1634
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1634
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
George Villiers, First Duke of Buckingham is a 1634 ink by Balthasar Moncornet, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This is a black-and-white portrait of a man with a serious face and a neatly trimmed beard. His hair is curly, and he wears a ruffled collar around his neck. Above his head, the name "BUCKINGHAM" is written in a fancy, curved frame with decorative swirls and leaves. The text below his portrait lists a bunch of fancy titles, all in French. This kind of detailed engraving was a big deal back then—it’s like a printed drawing, where the artist uses lines to create shadows and details. Next, check out how engraving works to see how artists like this made their marks.
Balthasar Moncornet (1600, Rouen – 1668, Paris) was a French painter, engraver, and tapissier revered for his depictions of around 45 different prominent figures of the 17th century.
See the richer artist page
