Henri Guérard, “Aube”, 1875

Henri Guérard (also known as Henri-Charles Guérard) (1846–1897)

“Aube” (or “Dawn”), 1875

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with plate tone on laid (Holland) paper, issued prior to lettering, with full margins. This print is plate 4 from a series of ten etchings illustrating Victor Hugo's renowned collection of poems condemning Napoleon III and the Second Republic, “Les Châtiments” (also known as “The Castigations” or “The Punishments”). It was printed by Charles Delâtre (active 1872–1876) and published in Paris in 1875 as part of a portfolio titled: “Series of ten etchings by Henry Guérard on Holland paper for the illustration of Victor Hugo's Les Châtiments, Paris, Librairie Nouvelle.”

The prints in this series are extremely rare, and their numbering is discontinuous; see commentary by Paris Musées Collections: https://www.parismuseescollections.paris.fr/fr/maison-de-victor-hugo/oeuvres/iv-aube-les-chatiments-iv-x#infos-secondaires-detail.

This particular etching illustrates a few verses from the poem “Aube” (Dawn): “Sur l'horizon lugubre apparaît le matin / Face rose qui rit avec des dents de perles / Le boeuf rêve et mugit, les bouvreuils et les merles / Et les geais querelleurs sifflent, et dans les bois / On entend s'éveiller confusément les voix ; / Les moutons hors de l'ombre, à travers les bourrées, / Font bondir au soleil leurs toisons éclairées.” (Translation: “On the gloomy horizon appears the morning / A rosy face that laughs with pearly teeth / The ox dreams and lows, the bullfinches and blackbirds / And the quarrelsome jays hiss, and in the woods / One hears voices awakening confusedly; / The sheep out of the shadows, through the thickets, / Make their illuminated fleeces leap in the sun.”)

The impression is strong and well-printed — near faultless. The sheet is in pristine condition, free of tears, holes, folds, stains, or signs of handling.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 27.3 x 17.5 cm
• Platemark: 14.9 x 10.6 cm
• Image Borderline: 13 x 9.4 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Lower left within the image borderline: “H.GUERARD – 1875”
• Lower centre below the image borderline: “IV”
• Lower right below the image borderline: “IMP. CH DELATRE”

References:

• Beraldi 556–565 (Henri Beraldi, Les Graveurs du XIX^e Siècle: GAVARNI–GUÉRARD, 1888, vol. VII, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, p. 273, cat. nos. 556–565)
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1900-1231-6052

Price & Shipping:

AU$276 (approximately US$197.36 / €168.31 / £145.89), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

I am offering this freely inscribed etching of a flock of sheep, reminiscent of the work of Charles Jacque and the Barbizon School. For purchase inquiries, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com, and I will send a PayPal invoice for easy payment.