Charles Jacque’s etching, “Turkey Keeper”, 1865

Charles Jacque (aka Charles Émile Jacque; Charles Jaque) (1813–1894)

“Turkey Keeper” (aka “La Gardeuse de Dindons”), 1865, plate 34, initially printed by Auguste-Marie Delâtre (French, 1822-1907) before this publication detail was erased, as is the case with this impression.

Etching, drypoint and engraving on grey chine collé (China) on heavy cream wove paper with wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 41.8 x 31.3 cm; (plate) 24.9 x 18 cm; (chine collé) 22.5 x 15.4 cm; (image borderline) 21.8 x 14.9 cm.

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (lower right corner) “Ch. Jacque”.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “CH. JACQUE INV. ET SC.”; (centre) “LA GARDEUSE DE DINDONS”; (right of centre) “No. 34–3.”; (right) “IMP.”

State ii (of ii); Guiffrey (1866) describes the first and second states: (Transl.) “First state: Pure etching. Second state: The back of a turkey which is at the bottom has been blanched [“blanchi”]. The back trees have been lowered and the left trees blackened” (p. 102).

Guiffrey 211ii (J.-J. Guiffrey 1866, “L'Oeuvre de Ch. Jacque”, Paris, Lemaire, p. 102, cat. no. 186); Beraldi 211 (Henri Béraldi 1885–1892, “Les Graveurs du XIXe Siècle: Guide de l'Amateur d'Estampes Modernes”, vol. VIII, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, p. 188, cat. no. 211); IFF 314 (Jean Adhémar & Jacques Lethève 1954, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800”, vol. 11, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, p. 116, cat. no. 314).

Guiffrey (1866) offers the following description of this print:

(Transl.) “A young peasant woman leaning on the left on a long stick, her back against a tree, watches several turkeys who are looking for food on the ground on the right. Trees background. Two birds at the top of the sky. Signed: Ch. Jacque.” (p. 102).

See also the descriptions of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum and the Harvard Art Museums: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.128674; https://hvrd.art/o/238877.

Condition: a richly inked and well-printed impression with generous margins in a near pristine (museum quality) condition with no tears, holes, folds, losses, abrasions, significant stains or signs of handling.

I am selling this strong and romantically beautiful etching of a young woman tending to her rafter of turkeys in rural France, for AU$279 (currently US$215.83/EUR180.15/GBP155.92 at the time of posting this print) including Express Mail (EMS) 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 exceptionally evocative etching of farm life at the close of the 19^th century by one of the luminaries of the Barbizon School, 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