Carel Christiaan Antony Last

Carel Christiaan Antony Last was a graphic artist active over the primary span of the early to mid-nineteenth century, with documented work dating from 1818 to 1856. His career, which spanned nearly four decades, focused predominantly on the creation of prints, specializing in historical and contemporary portraiture.

Last adhered to the prevailing conventions of nineteenth-century European printmaking, translating the likenesses of notable public figures into reproducible media. Nine such works are currently represented in museum collections, confirming his practice in the graphic arts.

His documented subjects often featured political and academic figures of the time, including the portrait Portret van Karl Robert von Nesselrode and the depiction of the Dutch nobleman Portret van Willem Lodewijk van Nassau-Dillenburg. Other significant figures preserved through his artistry include Portret van Cornelis Henricus à Roy, Portret van Jacobus van Wijk Roelandszoon, and Portret van Sim. Dk. van de Velde van Cappellen.

The primary institutional holding for Carel Christiaan Antony Last's graphic output is the Rijksmuseum, which preserves examples of these high-quality prints. As an artist active during the early nineteenth century, much of his artistic output is now firmly in the public domain, allowing for widespread access to his historical portraiture as downloadable artwork for scholarly and personal use.