Michel Dorigny's etching, “Four Amors with a Goat Picking Grapes”, c1630

(Attrib.) Michel Dorigny (1616–1665)

“Four Amors with a Goat Picking Grapes” (Rijksmuseum title), c1630 (1622–1652), from the series of 12 plates after Nicolas Chaperon (aka Nicolas Chapron) (1612–1654/5), “Recueil de diverses Bacchanales” (aka “Recueil de douze Bacchanales”), published by René Guérineau (c1605–1664).

The Curator of the British Museum advises that a “related drawing is in the Louvre (inv. 25199, recto)”. Regarding this series, the Curator explains that the print is from “a series of plates engraved by Chapron and Dorigny (among others) and representing dionysiac scenes; the plates described by Robert-Dumesnil (IV.254.12-17) are all anonymous and it is therefore difficult to attribute them with certitude. Him [Robert-Dumesnil] and P.J. Mariette attribute them to Dorigny” (BM no. 1974,0720.4).

Etching and engraving on laid paper trimmed around the platemark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 29.6 x 20.9 cm; (image borderline) 29 x 20.9 cm.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “Chapperon inuentor et pinxit.”; (right) Guerineau excud Cum Priuilegio Regis.”

Robert-Dumesnil VI.254.13 (APF Robert-Dumesnil 1835–71, “Le peintre-graveur français, ou catalogue raisonné des estampes gravées par les peintres et les dessinateurs de l'école française: ouvrage faisant suite au peintre-graveur de Bartsch”, Paris, vol. 6, p. 254, cat.no. 13); IFF 13 (Département des Estampes 1930, “Inventaire du Fonds, Français: graveurs du XVIIe siècle”, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Boy, sitting on the back of a goat kept in leash by a young satyr, and stretching out his arm to pick up a bunch of grapes held by a putto in a tree”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1467448&partId=1&searchText=Michel+DORIGNY+&page=1)

See also the description offered by the Rijksmuseum:

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.92243

Condition: well-printed impression trimmed along the image borderline and backed with a support sheet of fine archival/millennium quality washi paper. There are restorations around the tree foliage at the upper right and there are a few tears on the lower edge of the sheet which have been addressed by the sheet having been backed with a support sheet.

I am selling this strikingly beautiful bacchanalian scene executed with supreme confidence, for AU$300 (currently US$207.01/EUR183.70/GBP163.58 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this marvellous example of the Baroque period style, 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