Mezzotint in black after a portrait painted by C.A Jensen in 1846.. A rare handsigned and dedicated proof before the final state with the engraved name of the sitter, the fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen.
In 1928-30 Ilsted executed 15 mezzotints after portraits painted by other artists. As the commercial potentail of these portraits was rather limited, one must assume that Ilsted did them to challenge his own skill as an engraver - and as he had become rather prosperous at that time, he could afford to meet the challenge. Five of these portraits - a.o. this portrait - were printed and published posthumously by the DDRF (The Danish Etchers Society), but in the lifetime of Ilsted they were printed in small editions, and the 10 of them never reprinted by the DDRF are today very rare.
This specific copy of the state before text was printed by Ilsted and presented to Karl Madsen. the director of Statens Museum for Kunst (The National Galery in Copenhagen), a former influential artcritic, who had early supported Ilsted's art. It bears a dedication in pencil by Ilsted and is also signed in pencil.
A CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ on the graphic work by Ilsted is under preparation. We are seeking information on his etchings and mezzotints
