French draftsman, etcher and print dealer
Portrait of Israel Silvestre by
Charles Le Brun
, c. 1670
Israel Silvestre
(13 August 1621 in
Nancy
– 11 October 1691 in
Paris
),
[1]
called
the Younger
to distinguish him from his father, was a prolific French draftsman,
etcher
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
Paris
, Israel Henriet, an etcher and print-seller, and friend of
Jacques Callot
. 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
such as
Luca Carlevaris
and
Canaletto
, who adapted his compositions.
In 1661 he inherited Henriet's stock of plates, among which was a large part of the works of Callot, and many of those of
Stefano della Bella
. 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
, where the practice of housing eminent artists and craftsmen was a tradition that was originated under
Henri IV
. Silvestre's atelier was large: he had at least two pupils who had separate careers as engravers, Francois Noblesse and Meunier. In 1670
Charles Le Brun
[2]
recommended him for membership in the
Academie royale de peinture et de sculpture
. In 1675 his son, the artist
Louis de Silvestre
, 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.
[3]
Gallery of images
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]
The royal party at the enchanted gardens at the
Royal Opera of Versailles
, theater during the reign of
Louis XIV
, on May 7-13 1664.
Notes
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Sources
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Further reading
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External links
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