Title Page to Jeremy Taylor, The Great Exemplar

published 1653

William Faithorne

Associated Names
William Faithorne

Artist, English, 1616 - 1691

The engraving shows a depiction of a woman, a child, multiple adult figures, and several symbolic elements. At the center, a woman and a child are shown from waist up. The woman is holding the child. The child has curly hair. Both figures are surrounded by a halo and embraced by an angel from above. Above them, a cherubic face watches from below. Surrounding this central image are multiple square panels featuring different scenes: the top left and right panels depict elderly figures with long hair and beards, engrossed in writing or reading. Directly below the top left figure is a round inset showing a divine or spiritual figure in light amid clouds, while the middle bottom left and right panels exhibit similar elder figures. On the right, there is a scene with a cross labeled 'INRI,' surrounded by symbolic elements such as a skull and lightning. All these components are framed with decorative details and placed on a backdrop of engraved text, patterns, and engravings depicting religious and symbolic iconography, including a crown and angelic faces.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 23.5 × 15.5 cm (9 1/4 × 6 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1951.11.736

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Fagan 1888, no. 71


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891 - 1979], Philadelphia, (L.1932d); gift to NGA, 1951.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1888

  • Fagan, Louis. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Engraved Works of William Faithorne. London: Bernard Quaritch, 1888.

Wikidata ID

Q65368632

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