18th Century English Antique Reverse Print on Glass of William, Prince of Orange, circa 1732-1733

An English antique reverse print on glass dating back to the first half of the 18th Century.

After the original painting by Philip Van Dijk (1683-1753), the engraving produced by John Faber Junior (1684-1756) and published in 1732-1733.

The inscription below the portrait reads:

"His Highness William PRINCE of ORANGE & Nassau, &c, &c, &c
Done from the Original Painting nch. His Highness Presented to ye Right Hon.ble Philip Earl of Chesterfield, &c. To whom this plate is most Humbly Dedicated by his Lordships most Obedient Servant John Faber".

William III (4 November 1650–8 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the 1670s, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II. He ruled Britain and Ireland alongside his wife, Queen Mary II, and their joint reign is known as that of William and Mary.

Faber was born in The Hague, the son of the artist John Faber the Elder, and learned mezzotint and drawing from his father after the family's move to London. He then enrolled at the St Martin's Lane Academy.

In later life Faber resided at the Golden Head in Bloomsbury Square, London, where he died of gout on 2 May 1756. From the inscription on a masonic portrait of Frederick, Prince of Wales, it appears that Faber was a Freemason himself. According to Horace Walpole, his widow, of whom there is an engraving by Faber from a portrait by Thomas Hudson, remarried a lawyer of the name of Smith

Presented within its original ebonised frame.

Provenance - Unknown.

Condition - as per the images. Surface wear and mild age-related discolouration to the picture. This portrait still displays well. A further detailed condition report is available upon request.

Size - 33 cm x 26.7 cm (13" x 10 1/2")