Robert Devereux, Third Earl of Essex
Medium
etching and Engraving
Dimensions
plate: 20.8 × 16.3 cm (8 3/16 × 6 7/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1951.11.621
Art Historical Context
This striking etching and engraving, *Robert Devereux, Third Earl of Essex*, attributed to the masterful Bohemian artist Wenceslaus Hollar, dates to 1642—a pivotal year marking the outbreak of the English Civil War. Hollar, renowned for his intricate printmaking during his time in England, captures the Earl in a formal portrait that reflects the subject's status as a leading Parliamentarian commander. Devereux, a nobleman and military figure, rose to prominence as the Parliament's key opponent to King Charles I, embodying the era's fierce political and religious divides. Printed on a modest p...