Charles Émile Jacque (1813–94)

“Paysage—troupeau de vaches” [Landscape— Herd of cows], 1849, printed by Auguste Delâtre (1822–1907) and published by Marchant (c.1830–80), Alliance des Arts, Rue de Rivoli, 140, Paris.

Etching on chine-collé on thick wove paper

Size: (sheet) 15.9 x 20.5 cm; (plate); 7 x 9.4 cm; (image) 5.9 x 8.6 cm

Inscribed in the plate with the artist’s signature (upper right corner)

Guiffrey 1866 146 (undescribed state); IFF 222

Guiffrey offers the following description of this print: “Un troupeau de vaches sort du bois, au milieu marche le vacher précédé de son chien & portant sous le bras une botte d'herbes. Un arbre droit & maigre se découpe sur le ciel clair du fond. 1849. Signé Ch. Jacque. Premier état Eau-forte pure. Deuxième état Traits de burin dans les terrains & sur le cou des trois vaches qui sont le plus à gauche. Troi- sième état Un fond de bois entoure l'arbre qui se détachait isolé sur le ciel jusqu'à moitié de sa hauteur.” [Google Translation: “A herd of cows out of the wood, walking in the middle of the cowherd preceded her dog & carrying under his arm a bundle of herbs. A law & skinny tree is silhouetted against the clear sky. 1849. Signed Ch. Jacque. First Etching pure state. Second chisel Traits state land & on the necks of three cows that are more to the left. A third condition of woods surrounding the tree that stood isolated on the sky to half its height.”]

Based on Guiffrey’s description, I propose that this print is from the third state (of four states?). Guiffrey does not mention the inscribed publisher’s address featured in the British Museum’s copy signifying that the BM's copy is the fourth state—unless the address is erased which would make this a fifth state.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Man and herd of cows walking out of a forest and going to the right; later impression of a plate executed in 1849”

Condition: richly inked and crisp impression with margins. There is are a few very faint spots otherwise in excellent condition (i.e. there are no signs of abrasion, tears or stains beyond the very faint spots which may be an integral part of the paper rather than a flaw).

I am selling this exquisite etching exemplifying the spirit of the Barbizon School of artist for AU$118 (currently US$84.78/EUR76.27/GBP57.98 at the time of posting this print) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this original Jacque etching referencing the old masters, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

In 1848, a year before Jacque executed this etching, Jean-François Millet (1814–75) began to make his first etchings. I mention this seeming unrelated date as it was a watershed moment for both Jacque and Millet: for Millet, 1848 (Michel Melot suggests 1947) marked the beginning his explorations of etching through his appreciation (Melot suggests “imitation”) of Jacque’s prints; for Jacque the date marked a change from his former approach of rendering images with fine lines to the confident emphatic lines of his mature work. In short, 1848 signified a time when both artists were under the influence of each other in creating the powerful images—like this print—that exemplify the Barbizon movement.

Regarding this print, I can see the strong influence of Millet’s vision of the noble rural worker that underpinned Jacque’s prints after 1848. This shared vision is certainly evident in Jacque’s choice of subject for the etching—a weary farmer carrying a sheaf of wheat under his arm while leading a herd of cows from a forest into a clearing—but the shared vision is also evident in even small details like the treatment of the portrayed farmer. For example, compare the similarities between this figure and the farmer in Millet’s etching, “Le Paysan rentrant du Fumier” (1855) that I have posted previously.