François Perrier, “Battle between the Romans and the Dacians”, 1645

François Perrier (aka Le Bourguignon) (1594–1649)

“Battle between the Romans and the Dacians”, 1645, published in Rome (note that the Rijksmuseum advises the place of publication is Paris [see RP-P-2016-693-51]) by Giovanni Pietro Bellori (aka Giovan Pietro Bellori; Gian Pietro Bellori) (1613–1696) with privilege from Pope Innocent X (the Vatican) in 1645 from the series of fifty-four plates (La Blanc advises, fifty-five plates [p. 173]), “Roman Sculpted Reliefs”, from the Arch of Constantine in Rome, as an illustration to “Icones et segmenta illvstriuvm e marmore tabvlarvm qvae Romae adhvc extant a Francisco Perrier, delineata incisa et ad antiqvam formam lapideis exemplaribvs passim collapsis restitvta”) (Icons and fragments of illustrious marble tablets which are extant in Rome by Francisco Perrier, cut out and restored to the ancient form of the stone models collapsed here and there).

Etching on laid paper trimmed unevenly around the image borderline with partial loss of the writing edge and upper corners (restored and replenished with colour) and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (uneven sheet) 23.9 x 38.8 cm.

The sheet is trimmed with loss of the critical details in the writing edge that would establish which of the four states this print belongs; nevertheless, the impression is possibly early as the quality of the line shows no sign of wear to the printing plate.

LeBlanc 138–192 (J.Ch. Brunet & Ch. Leblanc 1888, “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. 173, cat. nos. 138–192).

The Rijksmuseum offers a description of this print: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.631544.

Note that Pietro Santi Bartoli (1635–1700) made an etching of the same relief but in the reverse direction to this print and later in the 1600s (1650–1691); see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1854-1020-70.

Condition: a strong impression trimmed crudely around the image and writing edge and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The trimmed edges have been replenished with watercolour to visually straighten them.

I am selling this large and visually arresting etching showing Emperor Trajan on horseback along with his army battling the Dacians—the depicted scene is from a relief sculpture on the Arch of Constantine in Rome—for AU$287 in total (currently/approximately US$190.31/EUR175.40/GBP149.39 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$287) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this marvellous etching exemplifying the publisher’s (Giovanni Pietro Bellori) advocacy for idealism in art—a world of glorious men far removed from the earthy realism of Caravaggio—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