Antique Genuine Engraving c.1755.

Authentic Portrait of Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthievre [1725-1793], half-length, turned to the right and looking to viewer, wearing periwig, armour and sash, with cloak over his left shoulder; in oval resting on ledge; Etching and engraving, engraved by Johann Martin Bernigeroth [1713-1767, Leipzig], undated, circa 1755, cut to design including the bottom margin with engraved signature "Bernigeroth sc.". The British Museum owns the copy with all margins and signature present. Engraved inscription: "Ludovicus Joannes' Maria / Graf von Toulouse / Herzog von Penthievre.

Johann Martin Bernigeroth, [1713-1767, Leipzig], German engraver and publisher, son of the engraver Martin Bernigeroth. He took over the workshop of his father in 1733. His brother, Johann Benedikt B. was also engraver. Reference: Thieme-Becker III, 459-60 AKL IX, 605

Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthievre (16 November 1725 - 4 March 1793) was the son of Louis Alexandre de Bourbon and his wife Marie Victoire de Noailles. He was also a grandson of Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. He possessed the following titles: Prince of Lamballe; Prince of Carignano; Duke of Rambouillet; Duke of Aumale (1775); Duke of Gisors; Duke of Chateauvillain; Duke of Arc-en-Barrois; Duke of Amboise; Count of Eu; Count of Guingamp.

At the age of twelve, upon his father's death, he succeeded to his father's military posts and titles:Admiral of France; Grand Master of France; Grand Huntsman of France; Marshal of France; Governor of Brittany.

On 2 July 1733 at the age of six, he was made a marechal de camp (field marshal) and the next year, a lieutenant general (lieutenant general). In 1740, he received the Ordre de la Toison d'or from the king. In 1742, the king conferred upon him the Order of the Holy Spirit. He served in the military under his maternal uncle, the marechal-duc de Noailles, and fought brilliantly at Dettingen in 1743 and Fontenoy in 1745.

In 1744, at the age of nineteen, Penthievre married Princess Maria Teresa Felicitas of Modena, (1726-1754), the daughter of Francesco III d'Este, the sovereign Duke of Modena and Reggio, and his first cousin, Charlotte Aglae d'Orleans.The couple had seven children, only two of whom survived infancy. The Duchess of Penthievre died in childbirth in 1754.Very badly hurt by the loss of his young wife, the duke never married again.He devoted the majority of the rest of his life to dispensing charity.

During the French Revolution, he gave refuge in Sceaux to the poet Jean Pierre de Florian, who had formerly been one of his pages and secretaries at the Chateau d'Anet. In 1791, he moved to the Chateau de Bizy, at Vernon in Normandy. where his daughter joined him in April of that year after leaving her husband, the duc d'Orleans. Greatly respected by the people because of his philanthropy, the duke was never bothered by the radicals as the French Revolution progressed. Others in his immediate family, however, were not spared. On 3 September 1792, his daughter-in-law, the princesse de Lamballe, was savagely murdered, and on 21 January 1793, his cousin Louis XVI was executed. He never saw the arrest of his daughter in April 1793, as he died on 4 March 1793 at Bizy. On the night of 6 to 7 March, his body was brought clandestinely to Dreux, where it was buried in the family crypt at the Collegiale Saint-Etienne.

About the A.L. Collection:

We acquired the "A.L." collection of engravings in London. It contains over one hundred prints created by leading German engravers of the eighteenth century. The anonymous collector "A.L." cut several of these prints to design and past on a larger laid paper. In 1762, A.L. bound his collection into one volume and provided the title in German, "Sammlung von Bildnussen hoher Potentaten vornehmer Herren beruehmter Gelehrten und anderer verdienten Maenner. Gesammelt von A.L., 1762." [Collection of Pictures of High Potentates, Gentlemen, Famous Scholars and Other Distinguished Men, collected by A.L. 1762.]

Without doubts, A.L. can be considered as a German collector. Most of the engravings have a handwritten number at the upper right corner. We provide this number in our item description as the reference number of the A.L. Collection. The fact that this collection was bound in 1762 provides additional warranty that the prints are authentic and created prior to 1762.

Certifications of Authenticity will be included upon buyers request.
<brArtwork will be mailed unframed, well packaged.

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US: Priority (c 2-4 days) - $18.50

Canada:
Priority (c. 2-6 weeks) - $37.50
Express (c 5-7 days) ---- $44.50

World:
Priority (c.2-8 weeks) -- $37.50
Express (c 5-10 days) --- $66.50

Cut to design, c.3.1/2" x 5.3/4" [84mm x 144mm], pasted on larger laid paper, 5.14/16" x 7.1/2" [145mm x 192mm], A.L. handwritten number "92" at the upper right corner. A little aging, very good condition.