Karl Bodmer, “Intérieur de Forêt”, 1851

Karl Bodmer (1809–1893)

“Intérieur de Forêt” (Forest Interior), 1851 (published 1853)

Technical Details & Condition:

Lithograph on chine collé (China paper) on heavy wove paper, with full margins as issued. This lithograph is based on a painting by the artist (Karl Bodmer) and was printed in Paris by Victor Jacques Bertauts (1810–1881), renowned for his skill in tonal printing (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG19418).

It is plate 65 from the second of three volumes of “Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes”, which contains a total of 144 plates. The print bears the publisher’s blind-stamp below the image: “Les Artistes / Anciens / Et Modernes.” Additionally, this impression has a small, pale tan collector’s mark (not listed in Lugt) beneath the blind-stamp. 

The impression is richly inked, strong, and well-preserved. The sheet shows minor surface marks in the margins and a pencil inscription from a previous collector in the lower margin. Aside from these minor issues, the sheet is in very good condition, with no tears, holes, folds, or significant stains. 

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 44.6 x 31.4 cm
• Platemark: 31.5 x 20.2 cm

Plate lettering below the image borderline:

• Left: “K. Bodmer, pinx. et lith./ Intérieur de Forêt.”
• Right: “Imp. Bertauts, Paris.”

References:

•  IFF 21 (Jean Laren & Jean Adhémar, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800: BOCQVIN–BYON”, 1942, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département des Estampes, vol. 3, p. 20, cat. no. 21 [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5488545z/f29.item])
• Delteil 87 (Loys Delteil in “L'Artiste; Revue de l'Art Contemporaine,” vol. 8, 1894, Paris, p. 141, cat. no. 87 [https://archive.org/details/lartisterevuedel89pariuoft/page/141/mode/1up])
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1936-0302-15-18

Price & Shipping:

AU$258 (approximately US$180.17 / €157.72 / £136.25), including worldwide express shipping.
Please note: Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this dramatic lithograph depicting a hunter and his dog stalking a group of deer—note how Bodmer captures the scene’s tension through spotlighting and the looming trees—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.