Antique German Engraving Hesse-Cassel State Arms, Dated 1795
Antique German Engraving Hesse-Cassel State Arms, Dated 1795
Antique German copper engraving of the full state arms of Hesse-Cassel, dated 1795 in the plate. The title, "Hochfürstliche Hessen-Casselische Wappen," is lettered in period German script above the achievement, which depicts the complete marshalled coat of the ruling House of Hesse-Cassel: a complex quartered shield combining the arms of Hesse, Thuringia, Hanau, Katzenelnbogen, and the associated counties, surmounted by a full array of helmets and crests and flanked by two crowned griffin supporters with baroque mantling. The engraving is from a German armorial publication of the late 18th century and represents the official princely achievement at a historically charged moment — 1795 falls squarely in the period when Hesse-Cassel was navigating the French Revolutionary Wars just fifteen years after its Hessian troops served as mercenaries in the American Revolution, the most famous such arrangement in colonial history. Sourced in England, where German dynastic prints circulated widely through aristocratic and antiquarian collections.
[d]Subject | State arms of Hesse-Cassel (Hochfürstliche Hessen-Casselische Wappen)
[d]Medium | Copper engraving on laid paper
[d]Origin | Germany
[d]Age | 1795, date engraved in the plate
[d]Style | Late 18th century German heraldic engraving; from a German armorial publication
[d]Artist | Unidentified professional engraver, German states, 1795
[d]Signature | None; plate date "1795" engraved below the achievement
[d]Image size | 5.25 in W x 7 in H
[d]Framed size | 10.25 in W x 13 in H
[d]Frame | Later black-painted wood frame with cream mat
[condition]
The engraving is in good antique condition. The impression is complete and legible with no losses to the image. The paper has aged to a warm cream tone consistent with laid paper of the period, with light overall toning and scattered minor foxing spots visible across the sheet. There are no tears, breaks, or significant losses to the paper. The plate detail is clear throughout, including the fine cross-hatching, the calligraphic German script title, and the 1795 plate date below the achievement. The later black wood frame and cream mat are clean and present well, though the frame is not period and carries no additional value. The hardboard backing is intact.