Detmar Friedrich Wilhelm Basse
c. 1782
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 18.3 x 10.9 cm (7 3/16 x 4 5/16 in.) sheet: 23.3 x 16.7 cm (9 3/16 x 6 9/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Robert Paul Mann and Dorothy Neeld Mann
Accession Number
1999.128.2
Art Historical Context
**Portrait of Detmar Friedrich Wilhelm Basse** by Anton Graff (c. 1782) captures the refined likeness of its sitter in a delicate etching on laid paper, a prized in the 18th century for subtle texture and ability to hold fine ink lines. Measuring a modest plate size of 18.3 x 10.9 cm, this intimate print exemplifies Graff's mastery as a leading Swiss-German portraitist of the Enlightenment era. Working primarily in Dresden, Graff blended Rococo elegance with emerging Neoclassical clarity, producing realistic depictions of intellectuals, nobles, and officials that conveyed character through pre...