Charles Joshua Chaplin’s etching, “Novembre”, 1856

Charles Joshua Chaplin (1825–1891) —not to be confused with the almost legendary silent film actor, Charlie Chaplin (Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE).

“Novembre” (aka “November, Aunay”; “Novembre à Aunay”), 1856, lettered below the image with four lines of Robert Burns’ (1759–1796) “The Gloomy Night is Gath'ring Fast” (1786).

Etching printed in brown ink on buff coloured chine collé (China) on wove paper with wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 29.7 x 43.3 cm; (plate) 19 x 26.2 cm; (chine collé) 17.3 x 25.1 cm; (image borderline) 14.9 x 24.2 cm.

Inscribed and lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “Ch. Chaplin”; (centre) “NOVEMBRE./ The gloomy night is gath'ring fast,/ Loud roars the wild inconstant blast// Yon murky cloud is foul with rain./ I see it driving o'er the plain./ BURNS”; (right) “Aunay Nov. 1856”.

Béraldi 13 (Henri Béraldi 1885–1892, “Les graveurs du XIXe siècle: Guide de l'amateur d'estampes modernes”, vol. 4, Paris, Librairie L Conquet, p. 89, cat. no. 13); IFF 6 (Département des Estampes 1930–, “Inventaire du Fonds Francais Après 1800”, vol. 4, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, p. 286, cat. no. 6).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Landscape of a field in tempestuous weather, where silhouettes of windmills are seen beyond at right; a flock of sheep and a herder in the right foreground. 1856
Etching on chine collé” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1874-1114-99).

See also the description of this print offered by the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/725315.

Condition: a well-printed, near faultless impression with generous margins. The sheet has a few minor marks in the margin otherwise the sheet is in remarkably good condition for its considerable age with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, losses, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this poetically evocative etching featuring a shepherd tending sheep in the foreground and distant windmills silhouetted against the softly fading light of twilight, for the total cost of AU$283 (currently US$220.40/EUR181.70/GBP158.06 at the time of this listing) 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 etching of great simplicity and beauty, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.