Portrait George I, King of Great Britain (1660-1727)

Portrait of George I, King of Great Britain. The nobleman is shown as a frontal chest. He turned his head slightly to the right and patterns the viewer. He wears a long, curly wig, as well as an armor over normal clothing with neck scarf. The portrait is oval and inscribed. Among them are various attributes of his regency: on a cushion crown, scepter and chain on the left, in the middle a crowned coat of arms in cartouche with inscription “HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE” and on the right another pillow with his Elector hat made of fur and an oversize medal with a horse in gallop and inscription: "NEC. ASPERA. TERRENT’. Born as Duke Georg Ludwig of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, the monarch emerged from the dynasty of the Welfen. Due to the Act of Settlement, he became King of Great Britain as George I in 1714. As early as the summer of 1710, the elector brought composer Georg Friedrich Händel to Hanover and appointed him as Hofkapellmeister. The French engraver, publisher and book illustrator Bernard Picart (1673-1733) executed the portrait as a copper engraving. At the time he created the picture, this was stated in 1714, he worked in Amsterdam. It is quite clear that he worked with two plates, since the oval effigy also has a plate border. The effigy is also finer worked, maybe he took the radial needle to the aid. As a template, a scrapbook would be possible that the present engraving was sideways and originated between 1714 and 1725, so that it could also be executed according to the present portrait. The stecher is not known, but the German art dealer Christoph Weigel (1654-1725) is called a publisher. The paper, as well as a specimen of the present engraving, is situated in the British Museum in London. Signature: [medallion] B. Picart Effigiem Sculpsit 1714. Worden is tasting op de Cingel ten huise van B. Picart in de star. Label: [medallion] GEORGIVS I (us). D. MAGNAE BRITANIAE FRANC. ET HIB. REX DEFENSOR FIDEI, DVX BRVNSVIC. ET LVNAEB. SR. I. ARCHITHES. ET ELECTOR. GEORGIO I.mo AVGVSTISSIMO MAGNAE BRITANNIAE, FRANCET HIB. REGI, DEFENSORI FIDEI, DVCI BRVNSVIC. ET LVNAEB. S. R. I. ARCHITHESAVARIO ET ELECTORI. Antiquae et Regiae Stirpis, omnes fer Orbis europe Domos Augustas sanguinis et arctissimae necessitudinis vinculo complexae, gloria, in sublimi fastigio posita; sed multo magis propriis Heroicae Virtutis laudibus inclyto: Quum Maximum Principem Divina Providentia in SOLIO BRITANNICO, EXCELSAE DOMVI HANOVERANAE, omni jure, et Publica MAIESTATIS Devotissimus Cultor B. Picartus, Calcographus. Watermark: present, motif: lily. (Stiftung Händel-Haus Halle Foundation)