Grand Cross of Leopold of Austria, Hand Colored Wood Engraving, 1844

An original antique wood engraving, colored by hand with watercolor, showing a Grand Cross of the Austrian Order of Leopold standing full length in the costume of the order. He wears a tall crimson cap with a gold band and a spray of white ostrich plumes, a white cape with a gold embroidered collar, and over it a heavy gold collar from which hangs a small red and white cross under a crown, with a second small cross beside it. Gold cords with large tassels fall at the left. The long white mantle, embroidered with gold oak leaves near the hem, sweeps behind him to the ground. Beneath it are a crimson doublet with gold ornament, a white sash with a gold fringed end, crimson hose with gold tasseled garters and crimson shoes with gold rosettes. His gloved hand at the right rests on his hip above a sword with a red and white grip, its crimson scabbard reaching to the ground.

Below the image the plate is captioned "GRAND-CROIX DE L'ORDRE DE LÉOPOLD D'AUTRICHE." (Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold of Austria). The ground under the figure is signed "DUVERGER" at the left and "CLERMAN" at the right, with no credit terms after the names. The plate carries no plate number.

The plate comes from Ordres de Chevalerie et Marques d'Honneur, published in Brussels in 1844 by the Librairie Historique-Artistique, rue de Schaerbeek, 12, with the title page reading "publié par Auguste Wahlen"; the half title is Histoire, costumes, décorations de tous les ordres de chevalerie, et marques d'honneur. Auguste Wahlen was the pen name of the Belgian writer Jean-François-Nicolas Loumyer (1801 to 1875), and the title page lists his own knighthoods in orders of Prussia, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Hanover, Greece, the Roman States, Saxe-Coburg and Brazil.

The crimson and white figure on pale paper makes a strong single image and pairs naturally with the other costume plates.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.