1721 Copper Engraving Portrait Frederick IV Elector Palatine Rhine Germany EUM2

This is an original 1721 black and white copper engraving of "Friedrich IV, Churfürst zu Pfaltz." This is a portrait of Frederick IV, Elector Palatine of the Rine. Also known as "Frederick the Righteous," he was the only surviving son of Louis VI, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth of Hesse. The portrait is surrounded by a wonderful decorative motif featuring the Oldest Electoral Hat, signifying the subject as a Prince-Elector, or simply Elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire. These individuals had the function of electing the Roman King or, from the middle of the sixteenth century onwards, directly electing the Holy Roman Emperor. The Oldest Electoral Hat gently rests upon velvet cloth at the top of the print, with the cloth cascading down the sides of the portrait. At the base of the frame is a decorative motto incorporating a botanical design. This piece is accompanied by the original German biographical text printed on a separate sheet and features a