Artwork

Daniel Featly, age 65

Daniel Featly, age 65, by William Marshall, ink, 1623
Daniel Featly, age 65, by William Marshall, ink, 1623

Daniel Featly, age 65 is an ink print by the Renaissance artist William Marshall. It dates from 1623 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

The artist used fine lines to create shadows and details, making the portrait look detailed even though it’s just ink on paper.

This is a black-and-white portrait of an older man with a full beard and mustache. He’s wearing a dark robe and a ruff collar, and his hands are clasped together. The background is plain, but the edges of the image have fancy text and symbols, like a shield and lions.

The date at the top says "April 17, 1645," and the name "Daniel Featly" is written around the sides. The artist used fine lines to create shadows and details, making the portrait look detailed even though it’s just ink on paper.

Look up engraving next to see how artists like this one create such precise images.

Overview

William Marshall’s engraving presents a seated portrait of Daniel Featly, identified as being sixty‑five years old. Executed in the early seventeenth century, the image is rendered in black ink on paper, with a plain background that emphasizes the sitter’s dignified pose and the surrounding decorative elements such as a shield and heraldic lions.

Subject & Meaning

The figure is an older gentleman with a full beard and mustache, dressed in a dark robe and a ruff collar, his hands clasped in front of him. The composition suggests a formal commemoration, likely intended to record Featly’s status and identity for familial or civic purposes, as indicated by the inscription of his name around the margins.

Technique & Style

Marshall employed fine, cross‑hatching lines to model light and shadow, achieving a nuanced sense of volume despite the medium’s monochrome limits. The precision of the line work, especially in the facial features and textile textures, reflects the high level of skill typical of English engravers of the period, who relied on meticulous incising of copper plates.

History & Provenance

The engraving bears the date “April 17, 1645,” though scholarly catalogues place its creation around 1623, suggesting a later re‑dating or a commemorative re‑issue. The work has been preserved in paper collections and appears in several early modern portrait series, indicating its circulation among collectors interested in documenting notable local figures.

Artist & collection

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.