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ID #SA1223960
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Mezzotint Portrait of the Countess of Rochford - By John Smith After Charles D'agar
The Mezzotint Man
for sale €842     $914
£720
The Mezzotint Man

The Mezzotint Man

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Mezzotint Portrait of the Countess of Rochford - By John Smith After Charles D'agar

18th century
Description

MEZZOTINT PORTRAIT OF THE COUNTESS OF ROCHFORD - BESSEY NASSAU VAN ZUYLESTEIN BY JOHN SMITH AFTER CHARLES D'AGAR

Fine and celebrated 1723 mezzotint portrait created by engraver John Smith, produced after an original oil painting by the portraitist Charles D'Agar.

The Countess is depicted in a three-quarter-length seated pose, radiating an elegant and composed demeanor. She wears her formal, flowing peeress's robes crafted from velvet and heavily trimmed with ermine. Beneath them, her dress features deeply ruffled lace sleeves.

In a traditional nod to her high social status, she holds her aristocratic coronet directly in her lap. In contrast to the elaborate garments, her hair is styled quite simply, falling naturally to frame her face.

The backdrop features a grand architectural interior anchored by a large stone pillar and heavy drapery, which transitions into a scenic view of an open park or distant landscape

Bessey Nassau van Zuylestein (née Savage), Countess of Rochford (1698 or 1699-1746),

English noblewoman, the former wife of the 3rd Earl of Rochford, and later the wife of the Reverend Philip Carter.

Marriage: Married Frederick Nassau van Zuylestein, 3rd Earl of Rochford, in 1714. He died in 1738.

Second Marriage: Remarried to Reverend Philip Carter.

Parentage: She was the illegitimate daughter and heiress of Richard Savage, 4th Earl River

This highly decorative mezzotint of an attractive sitter is in a good state of conservation, and it is ready to hang and enjoy in a later embossed frame with sanded gilt slip.

Plate Size: 34.5cm x 25cm

Framed size: 45cm x 36cm

Physical Dimensions
Height
45cm (17.72")
Width
36cm (14.17")
Depth
4cm (1.57")
Declaration

The Mezzotint Man has dated this Antique Portrait Mezzotint Print to the 18th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1223960
Description
MEZZOTINT PORTRAIT OF THE COUNTESS OF ROCHFORD - BESSEY NASSAU VAN ZUYLESTEIN BY JOHN SMITH AFTER CHARLES D'AGAR
“
Fine and celebrated 1723 mezzotint portrait created by engraver John Smith, produced after an original oil painting by the portraitist Charles D'Agar.
The Mezzotint Man
fig 1. An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border.
fig 1. Mezzotint Portrait of the Countess of Rochford - By John Smith After Charles D'agar

The Countess is depicted in a three-quarter-length seated pose, radiating an elegant and composed demeanor. She wears her formal, flowing peeress's robes crafted from velvet and heavily trimmed with ermine. Beneath them, her dress features deeply ruffled lace sleeves.

fig 2. An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border.
fig 2. Mezzotint Portrait of the Countess of Rochford - By John Smith After Charles D'agar

In a traditional nod to her high social status, she holds her aristocratic coronet directly in her lap. In contrast to the elaborate garments, her hair is styled quite simply, falling naturally to frame her face.

fig 3. An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border.
fig 3. Mezzotint Portrait of the Countess of Rochford - By John Smith After Charles D'agar

The backdrop features a grand architectural interior anchored by a large stone pillar and heavy drapery, which transitions into a scenic view of an open park or distant landscape

Bessey Nassau van Zuylestein (née Savage), Countess of Rochford (1698 or 1699-1746),

fig 4. An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border.
fig 4. Mezzotint Portrait of the Countess of Rochford - By John Smith After Charles D'agar

English noblewoman, the former wife of the 3rd Earl of Rochford, and later the wife of the Reverend Philip Carter.

Marriage: Married Frederick Nassau van Zuylestein, 3rd Earl of Rochford, in 1714. He died in 1738.

Second Marriage: Remarried to Reverend Philip Carter.

Parentage: She was the illegitimate daughter and heiress of Richard Savage, 4th Earl River

This highly decorative mezzotint of an attractive sitter is in a good state of conservation, and it is ready to hang and enjoy in a later embossed frame with sanded gilt slip.

Plate Size: 34.5cm x 25cm

Framed size: 45cm x 36cm

Height
45cm (17.72")
Width
36cm (14.17")
Depth
4cm (1.57")
Date of Manufacture

The Mezzotint Man has dated this Antique Portrait Mezzotint Print to the 18th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1223960
The Mezzotint Man
The Mezzotint Man
Sellingantiques verified Since Mar 2026

Dealers in fine antiquarian portrait prints

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An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border.
1 / 5
Archive I An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border.

Mezzotint Portrait of the Countess of Rochford - By John Smith After Charles D'agar

Archive II An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border. View II
Archive III An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border. View III
Archive IV An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border. View IV
Archive V An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border. View V
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An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border.
MEZZOTINT PORTRAIT OF THE COUNTESS OF ROCHFORD - BY JOHN SMITH AFTER CHARLES D'AGAR
Ref: SA1223960
An eighteenth-century monochrome mezzotint portrait of the Countess of Rochford, depicted in formal drapery holding a coronet, framed in a black outer molding with a gilded inner border.
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FAQs

A mezzotint is a tonal printmaking technique developed in the seventeenth century, created by systematically roughening a copper plate with a metal rocker to hold ink, yielding deep dark tones and subtle gradations of shade.

Eighteenth-century mezzotints were printed using oil-based inks onto handmade cotton or linen rag paper, pulled from engraved copper plates, and frequently mounted in timber frames under glass.

Authentic antique mezzotints feature visible indentation marks around the image border, a fine rocker texture visible under magnification within dark areas, period paper structure, and original publisher inscriptions along the lower margin.

A monochrome portrait print can be styled as part of a gallery wall display, hung above a sideboard, or placed alongside contemporary minimalist furnishings to create visual balance.

Paper prints should be kept out of direct light and damp conditions, framed using UV-filtering glass, and secured with acid-free archival mounting boards to prevent discolouration and deterioration.
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