1721 Copper Engraving Portrait Archduchess Helena Austria Holy Roman Empire EUM1

This is an original 1721 black and white copper engraving of "Helena Ertzherzogin zu Österreich." This is a portrait of Archduchess Helena of Austria, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and Anne of Bohemia and Hungary, member of the House of Habsburg, and a Jesuit nun. The portrait is surrounded by a beautiful decorative motif mimicking a frame set against a strongly cross-hatched and etched background. The design features a subtly ornate frame upon which the heraldic, two-headed Quarter Eagle sits, drawing back drapery from the portrait and framing the Crown of the Austrian Empire. The drapery flows down the left and right side of the frame, flanking the portrait before meeting a botanical design at the bottom of the image. This piece is accompanied by the original German biographical text printed on a separate sheet and features a decorative drop cap and an exquisite vignette incorporating the heraldic, two-headed Quarter Eagle and the Crown of the Austrian Empire.CONDITI