TEMPLAR KNIGHT IN HOUSE HABIT – original 18th-century engraving

Original etching by Jacques-Charles Bar, hand-enhanced with watercolor

France, circa 1780–1790
Dimensions: 41 cm × 26 cm
Size : 16.2" X 10.2"
Condition: excellent – laid paper, intact margins, clearly visible plate mark

Elegant and rare depiction of a Templar knight in house habit, dressed in the white mantle adorned with the red cross.
Devoid of arms, the knight appears here in the serenity of monastic life, a symbol of obedience, chastity, and service.
The artist captures with great purity of line the inner and contemplative dimension of the Order of the Temple, in contrast to the martial vigor of battle scenes.

This plate comes from the great engraved cycle created by Jacques-Charles Bar at the end of the 18th century, devoted to the religious and military orders of Europe.
The ensemble constitutes one of the rare visual testimonies of the 18th century concerning Templar iconography, long before the Romantic rediscovery of the myth of the Knights Templar in the 19th century.
Bar’s original engravings, especially those hand-enhanced with watercolor, rank among the earliest printed representations of the Templars produced after the dissolution of the Order.
They thus offer a scholarly and respectful view, deeply marked by the encyclopedic and religious spirit of the late Ancien Régime.

The impression, of remarkable fineness, highlights the rigor of the habit and the nobility of the bearing.
The original period colors, fresh and luminous, enhance the clarity of the garment and the gentleness of the face, while the visible plate mark around the edges attests to an original 18th-century hand-press impression.
The antique laid paper, supple and finely textured, has preserved all of its freshness.

Provenance: private European collection.

An emblematic and highly sought-after piece, a true historical and spiritual document, ideal for a cabinet of religious history, a Templar collection, or a refined symbolic interior.