Israël Silvestre, “View of the Mountain and Cave of Sainte-Baume”, c. 1640

Israël Silvestre (aka Israel Sylvestre) (1621–1691)

“View of the Mountain and Cave of Sainte-Baume” (aka “Gezicht op de berg en grot van Sainte-Baume”; “Natural view of the Sainte-Baume in Provence”; “Vue au naturel de la Sainte Baume en Provence”), c. 1640, published in Paris by Pierre Mariette I (1596–1657) with royal privilege from Louis XIV (King of France).  

Etching on fine laid paper with watermark.

Size: (sheet) 16.7 x 31.3 cm; (plate) 13.8 x 30.7 cm; (image borderline) 11.1 x 30.3 cm.

Inscribed in plate below the image borderline: (left) “Dessignée et grauée par Israel Syluestre”; (centre) “Veüe au naturel de la Saincte Baume en Prouence./ Auec priuilege du Roy”; (right) “A. Paris chez Pierre Mariette, rue S. Iacques a l’Esperance”.

LeBlanc 698; Faucheux 288

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Sainte-Baume in Provence: landscape with cascading river at right, and at left a fortified city standing at the bottom of a mountain ridge, with the entrance of the cave visible behind the town/ Etching” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_X-9-178).

See also the description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200255617.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression with small margins. Beyond minor surface marks and areas of thinness visible when held to the light, the sheet is in a good condition, free from tears, holes, folds, or significant stains.

Price & Shipping: AU$262 (approx. US$169.95 / €147.32 / £129.48), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in purchasing this panoramic view looking towards the cave in the mountain where Christian tradition holds that Saint Mary Magdalene spent her final years—note the location marker of tiny angels in the sky above the saint’s grotto (though I may be mistaken about this). To inquire, contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com, and I will send you a PayPal invoice for a secure and convenient payment process.