Portret van kardinaal František de Paula Hrzán z Harasova

About this artwork

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Art Historical Context

This etching by Italian printmaker Antonio Capellan portrays František de Paula Hrzán z Harasova, a prominent ecclesiastical figure of the late eighteenth century. Created between 1779 and 1788, the work captures the cardinal in formal attire, reflecting the dignified conventions of clerical portraiture during the Enlightenment era. Capellan, known for his precise reproductive prints after paintings by leading artists, employed etching to translate painted likenesses into accessible images for wider audiences. Etching was a favored medium at the time for its ability to render fine details and...

About the Artist

Antonio Capellan · 1735–1795

Antonio Capellan (ca. 1740–1793) was an Italian engraver active in Venice and Rome during the Neoclassical period, specializing in reproductive prints that disseminated images of Italian Renaissance masterworks. Born around 1740 in Venice, Capellan trained with Joseph Wagner, a prominent printmaker who influenced a generation of Venetian engravers. This apprenticeship established Capellan's techni...