Renold Elstracke
Encyclopedia
Biography
Reginol was born in 1570. He was the son of Joselphe Elstrage of Lukeland, LiègeLiège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
, who came to England in 1552. He was in all probability a pupil of Crispin van de Passe the elder at Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, and came to England at the same time and under the same circumstances as the younger members of the Van de Passe family
Van de Passe family
Crispijn van de Passe the Elder, or de Passe was a Dutch publisher and engraver and founder of a dynasty of engravers comparable to the Wierix family and the Sadelers, though mostly at a more mundane commercial level...
.
A print of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
ascribed to Elstracke, in which case he must have lived on into the reign of the latter king. It is not known when he died. The known mention in the historical record is 1625.
Works
Elstracke's style of engraving has very much in common with that of those artists, and similarly his engravings are more valued for their rarity than for their artistic excellence. They are extremely interesting, as they portray many of the most important persons of the day.Elstrack's first known pieces come from a translation of Jan Huygen von Linschoten's Voyages into ye Easte and West Indies published in 1598. William Rogers
William Rogers
-Politics:*William P. Rogers , U.S. Attorney General under Dwight Eisenhower and Secretary of State under Richard Nixon*Will Rogers, Jr. , congressman from California from 1943 to 1944 and the son of the noted humorist by the same name*Will Rogers , congressman from Oklahoma, 1933–1942*William D...
, his well known predecessor, engraved the title-plate while Elstrack engraved five of the maps used in the work.
Elstrack's chief production was the set of engravings of the kings of England, published in 1618 by Henry Holland and sold by Compton Holland under the title of Basilioilogia; a Booke of Kings, being the true and lively Effigies of all our English kings from the Conquest until this present, with their several coats of Armes, Impreses, and Devises! And a briefe Chronologie of their lives and deaths, elegantly graven in Copper. This set consists of thirty-two portraits and a title-page containing portraits of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
and Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...
. "By this time, however, his work was rapidly becoming outdated, as the recently arrived Simon de Passe and Francis Delaram
Francis Delaram
Francis Delaram , was an English engraver.Delaram has left behind a substabtial collection of engraved portraits, landscapes and book illustrations , but his life is practically unknown. Sidney Colvin wrote that Delaram, most likely, was born in Flanders...
had introduced new patterns and styles from abroad ."
The title-page, with different portraits, was used for the Earl of Monmouth
Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth
Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth was an English nobleman and translator born in Bolton, Lancashire, England to Robert Carey, 1st Earl of Monmouth and Elizabeth Trevannion. On 6 November 1652 Henry married Martha Cranfield daughter of Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesex and Elizabeth Shepard...
's translation of Biondi's History of the Civil Wars.
The plates were subsequently used for Florus Anglicus, or Lives of the Kings of England, and again for William Martyn's Historie and Lives of the Kings of England. In both these cases they have letterpress at the back, and are in a very much worn condition.
One of the rarest of Elstracke's engravings, and the most highly prized by collectors during the 19th century, is the double whole-length portrait of Mary Queen of Scots and Henry, Lord Darnley; an impression of this was sold in 1824 in the collection of Sir Mark Sykes for £81 18/-.; the same print was sold at the dispersal of the Stowe Granger... in 1849 (when a great number of Elstracke's engravings were disposed of) for £33'. 10/-., and in March 1884, at the sale of the Dent collection, was purchased for the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
at a cost of £150.
Among other rare engravings by Elstracke were similar portraits of Frederick V, Elector Palatine
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
Frederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....
, and Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth of Bohemia
Elizabeth of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of King James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. As the wife of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, she was Electress Palatine and briefly Queen of Bohemia...
(Dent sale, £23.), and James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
and Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...
(Dent sale, £65) A portrait of Sir Richard Whittington
Richard Whittington
Sir Richard Whittington was a medieval merchant and politician, and the real-life inspiration for the pantomime character Dick Whittington. Sir Richard Whittington was four times Lord Mayor of London, a Member of Parliament and a sheriff of London...
was first engraved by Elstracke with the hand resting on a skull, which was subsequently altered to a cat; in its original state it is extremely rare.
Among other notabilities whose portraits were engraved by Elstracke were:
- Gervase BabingtonGervase BabingtonGervase Babington was the Bishop of Llandaff , Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of Worcester from 1597-1610.-External links:...
, bishop of WorcesterBishop of WorcesterThe Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
, - Sir Julius Cæsar,
- Sir Thomas MoreThomas MoreSir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
, - Thomas SuttonThomas SuttonThomas Sutton was an English civil servant and businessman as well as being the founder of Charterhouse School. He was the son of an official of the city of Lincoln, and was educated at Eton College and probably at Cambridge...
, founder of the Charterhouse SchoolCharterhouse SchoolCharterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
, - Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of SuffolkThomas Howard, 1st Earl of SuffolkAdmiral Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, KG, PC was a son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk, the daughter and heiress of the 1st Baron Audley of Walden....
, - John, lord Harington of ExtonBaron Harington of ExtonBaron Harington of Exton was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created for John Harington on 21 July 1603. It became extinct on the death of his son in 1614.-Barons Harington of Exton :*John Harington, 1st Baron Harington of Exton Baron Harington of Exton was a title in the Peerage of...
, - Robert DevereuxRobert DevereuxRobert Devereux may refer to:*Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, executed for treason*Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, son of the above*Roberto Devereux, an opera by Donizetti*Robert Devereux...
, earl of EssexEarl of EssexEarl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals. The earldom was first created in the 12th century for Geoffrey II de Mandeville . Upon the death of the third earl in 1189, the title became dormant or extinct...
, - Robert Carr, 1st Earl of SomersetRobert Carr, 1st Earl of SomersetRobert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, , was a politician, and favourite of King James I of England.-Background:Robert Kerr was born in Wrington, Somerset, England the younger son of Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehurst, Scotland by his second wife, Janet, sister of Walter Scott of Buccleuch...
, and his wife, - Sir Thomas OverburyThomas OverburySir Thomas Overbury was an English poet and essayist, and the victim of one of the most sensational crimes in English history...
, - Matthew HuttonMatthew Hutton (Archbishop of York)Matthew Hutton was archbishop of York from 1595 to 1606.-Life:Hutton, the son of Matthew Hutton of Priest Hutton, in the parish of Warton, Lancashire, was born in that parish in 1529. He became a sizar at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1546. Graduating B.A. 1551–2, he became a fellow of Trinity in...
, archbishop of YorkArchbishop of YorkThe Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
, - Tobias MatthewTobias MatthewTobias Matthew was Archbishop of York.-Life:He was the son of Sir John Matthew of Ross in Herefordshire, England, and of his wife Eleanor Crofton of Ludlow. He was born at Bristol and was educated at Wells, Somerset, and then in succession at University College and Christ Church, Oxford...
, archbishop of YorkArchbishop of YorkThe Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
, and others.
Elstracke also engraved numerous frontispieces. A print of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
sitting in parliament is dated 1624, and there is a similar print of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
ascribed to Elstracke.