Daniel Mordant’s engraving (with etching), “L'Espérance”, 1897, after George Frederick Watts

Daniel Mordant (aka Daniel Charles Marie Mordant) (1854–1914)

“L'Espérance” (aka “Hope”; “The Audacity of Hope”), 1897, engraving with etching after George Frederick Watts’ (1817–1904) painting, “Hope”, executed in 1886 in the collection of the Tate Gallery (inv. no. N01640) showing “… blind Hope seated on a globe and playing on a lyre which has all its strings broken except one” (https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/watts-hope-n01640). This impression with the original tissue-guard intact was printed by Louis Fort (fl. 1905) and published in Paris by Gauthier-Villars, bound between pages 132 and 133 in the art periodical, “Revue de l'Art ancien et modern”, vol., 4, 1897 (see https://archive.org/details/larevuedelartanc04pariuoft/page/141/mode/2up).

Note that I have previously listed a proof impression of this print (now sold): https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2021/05/daniel-charles-marie-mordants-engraving.html.

Engraving with etching printed on cream wove paper with full margins and attached tissue-guard as published.

Size: (sheet) 29 x 21.3 cm; (plate [soft impression]) 22? x 16.8? cm; (image borderline) 17.7 x 13.8 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: “Watts pinx./ Revue de l’Art ancient et moderne”; (centre) “L'Espérance”/ (Tate gallery); (right) “Mordant sc./ Imp, L. Fort”.

Condition: a well-printed impression on cream wove paper with the original tissue guard still attached. The sheet is in a near pristine condition.

I am selling this very beautiful engraving (with etching) executed in the most delicate of strokes after Watts’ famous allegorical painting showing the personification of hope (aka the Roman deity, Spes; the Greek deity, Elpis) as a blind young woman seated on a mist shrouded globe as she lightly strums on the last unbroken string of her lyre, for AU$322 (currently US$215.22/EUR194.74/GBP171.42 at the time of posting 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 superb translation of Watt’s painting into an amazingly fine engraving, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.