Bernard Picart, “The Fall of Icarus”, 1730/1

Bernard Picart (1673–1733)

“The Fall of Icarus”, 1730/1, Plate 36 (XXXVI) from the series of sixty plates, “Le Temple des Muses” (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), first published in Amsterdam in 1733 by Zacharie Chatelain (fl.1700–50), between pages 100 and 101 (see https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/picart1754/0152/image). This impression is from the first edition.

Etching and engraving printed from two plates on laid paper with full margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 46.1 x 17.6 cm; (outer plate) 35.8 x 25.3 cm; (outer image borderline) 34.6 x 24.8 cm.

Lettered in plate below the inner image borderline: (left) “B. Picart invenit 1731.”; (centre with title in four languages [French, English, German and Dutch]) “LA CHUTE D’ICARE./ The fall of Icarus.// …./ …”.

Lettered in plate below the outer image borderline: (left) “B. Picart del. 1730.”

LeBlanc 85–146 (J.Ch. Brunet & Ch. Leblanc 1854[–1889], “Manuel de l'amateur d'estampes, contenant un dictionnaire des graveurs de toutes les nations: ouvrage destiné à faire suite au Manuel du libraire”, vol. 3, Paris, p. 192, cat. nos. 85–146).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print: (Transl.) “Icarus and his father Daedalus escape from Crete. However, Icarus flies too close to the sun, causing the wax on his wings to melt, his wings to fall off, and him to crash into the sea. [...] The scene is decorated with an ornamental border” (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.303441).

See also the description of this print offered by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1914-0214-218.

Condition: a strong and well-printed (near faultless) impression in a near pristine condition for its considerable age.

I am selling this stunningly beautiful engraving showing Icarus falling from the sky when his imitation wings glued together with wax melted after Icarus flew too close to the sun following his escape from Crete with his father, Daedalus, shown flying in the distance, for AU$336 in total (currently/approximately US$223.64/ EUR206.09/ GBP176.78 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. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU$336) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this museum quality engraving printed from two plates—an outer “frame” plate and the inner “image” plate—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