Portrait of Israel Silvestre by Le Brun - israel-silvestre-fr

Israel Silvestre (13 August 1621 in Nancy – 11 October 1691 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

), called the Younger to distinguish him from his father, was a prolific French draftsman,

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

and print dealer who specialized in topographical views and perspectives of famous buildings. Orphaned at an early age, he was taken in by his uncle in

, Israel Henriet, an etcher and print-seller, and friend of

Jacques Callot Jacques Callot (; – 1635) was a baroque printmaker and draftsman from the Duchy of Lorraine (an independent state on the north-eastern border of France, southwestern border of Germany and overlapping the southern Netherlands). He is an impor ...

. Between 1630 and 1650 Silvestre travelled widely in France, Spain and Italy, which he visited three times, and later worked up his sketches as etchings, which were sold singly and in series. His work, especially of Venetian subjects published in the 1660s, influenced eighteenth-century painters of ''

vedute A ''veduta'' (Italian for "view"; plural ''vedute'') is a highly detailed, usually large-scale painting or, more often, print of a cityscape or some other vista. The painters of ''vedute'' are referred to as ''vedutisti''. Origins This genr ...

'' such as

Luca Carlevaris Luca Carlevarijs or Carlevaris (20 January 1663 – 12 February 1730) was an Italian painter and engraver working mainly in Venice. He pioneered the genre of the cityscapes (''vedute'') of Venice, a genre that was later widely followed by artis ...

and

Canaletto Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Painter of city views or ...

, who adapted his compositions. In 1661 he inherited the stock of plates of his uncle, the printseller Israel Henriet, among which was a large part of the works of Callot, and many of those of

Stefano della Bella Stefano della Bella (17 May 1610 – 12 July 1664) was an Italian draughtsman and printmaker known for etchings of a great variety of subjects, including military and court scenes, landscapes, and lively genre scenes. He left 1052 prints, and sev ...

. In 1662 he was appointed ''dessinateur et graveur du Roi'' and in 1673 he was appointed drawing-master to Louis, ''le Grand Dauphin''. From 1668 he was granted workshop space in the galleries of the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...

, where the practice of housing eminent artists and craftsmen was a tradition that was originated under

Henri IV Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

. Silvestre's atelier was large: he had at least two pupils who had separate careers as engravers, François Noblesse and Meunier. In 1670

Charles Le Brun Charles Le Brun (baptised 24 February 1619 – 12 February 1690) was a French painter, physiognomist, art theorist, and a director of several art schools of his time. As court painter to Louis XIV, who declared him "the greatest French artist of ...

Le Brun painted portraits of Israel Silvestre and his wife. recommended him for membership in the

Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture The Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (; en, "Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture") was founded in 1648 in Paris, France. It was the premier art institution of France during the latter part of the Ancien Régime until it was abo ...

. In 1675 his son, the artist

Louis de Silvestre Louis de Silvestre (23 June 1675 – 11 April 1760) was a French portrait and history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing sy ...

, was born at Sceaux. At his death he left a large collection of drawings, more than a thousand engravings, and other works of art to his sons, whose own artistic tastes he had nurtured. The family collection was sold at auction in 1810.

Gallery of images

The royal party at the enchanted gardens at the Royal Opera of Versailles, theater during the reign of

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

, on May 7-13 1664. File:Israël Silvestre, Première journée, 1664.jpg, '' The first feast day'' ('' Première Journée'') at L'Île Enchantée (The Enchanted Island), given by

at Royal Opera of Versailles (Versailles Theatre). ''Cruising by the Knights of Charlemagne'' (7 May 1664).

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

. File:La Fête-Les Plaisirs de l'Ile Enchantée-donnée par Louis XIV à Versailles-Théâtre.jpg, ''The second feast day'' (''Deuxième Journée'') at L'Île Enchantée (The Enchanted Island), given by

at Royal Opera of Versailles (Versailles Theatre). ''Princess d'Elide'' (8 May 1664). File:Les Plaisirs de L'Isle enchantee Troisieme journee Theatre.jpg, ''The third feast day'' (''Troisième Journée'') at L'Île Enchantée (The Enchanted Island), given by

at Royal Opera of Versailles (Versailles Theatre). ''Ballet at the castle Alcina'' (9 May 1664).

Notes

Sources

* * Silvestre, E. de (1869). ''Renseignements sur quelques peintres et graveurs des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles: Israël Silvestre et ses descendants'', 2nd edition. Paris: Impr. de Madame veuve Bouchard-Huzard.
Copy
at Google Books.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Silvestre, Israel French draughtsmen French printmakers French etchers 1621 births 1691 deaths Artists from Nancy, France

Gallery of images

Notes

Sources

Further reading

External links