Léo Drouyn, “Près Clenneins”, 1856/7

Léo Drouyn (aka François Joseph Léo Drouyn) (1816–1896)

“Près Clenneins” (“Near Clenneins”), 1856/7, plate 15 from the series, “Suite de petites eau-fortes”, printed in Paris by Auguste Delâtre (aka Auguste Marie Delâtre) (1822–1907) and published by Marchant (Alliance des Arts) (fl.1830–1880).

Etching printed in a warm black ink on laid paper with full margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 23.7 x 31.6 cm; (platemark) 13.9 x 23.4 cm; (image borderline) 12.2 x 20.5 cm.

Inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (upper left) “Leo Drouyn/ […]1857”.

Inscribed in plate below the image borderline: (left) “Près Clenneins”; (left of centre) “Marchant, Edit Alliance des Arts”; (right) “Imp. Delâtre, r. S^t. Jacques, 265, Paris”.

Stamped in lower right corner “1.284”.

IFF 15 (Jean Adhémar & Jacques Lethève 1954, “Inventaire du Fonds Francais Apres 1800”, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, vol. 7, p. 97, cat. no. 15 [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5489211f/f109.item]).

The Musée d'art et d'histoire (Ville de Genève) offers a description of this print: https://www.mahmah.ch/collection/oeuvres/pres-clenneins/e-2019-1234-009.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression with wide margins in a near pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains or signs of handling.

I am selling this finely executed etching by a remarkable artist whose interests extended beyond his connection with the Barbizon school of artists (as exemplified by this gritty scene of everyday rural life) to the world of archaeology, especially in terms of the architecture of the Middle Ages—a preoccupation that to my mind is resonant in his treatment of the rustic houses shown here, where I’m sure that he knew the location of every batten and beam—for AU$232 in total (currently/approximately US$153.17/ EUR141.62/ GBP120.69 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$232) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this light-filled etching of rural life, 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

Léo Drouyn’s etching, “Paysage”, 1863

Léo Drouyn (aka François Joseph Léo Drouyn) (1816–1896)

“Paysage”, 1863, plate 273 from the series, “Eaux-Fortes Modernes”, printed by Auguste Delâtre (aka Auguste Marie Delâtre) (1822–1907) and published in Paris by Cadart & Luquet (fl. 1863–1867) in the fifth volume of sixty prints (beginning at plate 241 following on from the previous volume), “Eaux-Fortes Modernes: Originales et Inédites” (September 1866–August 1867), produced by the Société des Aquafortistes (Society of Etchers).

Etching laid paper stamped with the Cadart & Luquet blindstamp at lower centre.

Size: (sheet) 47.8 x 30 cm; (plate) 32.2 x 24 cm; (image borderline) 27.8 x 20.8 cm.

Inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (upper left corner) “Leo Drouyn/ avril 1863”.

Numbered in plate above the image borderline: (right corner) “273.”

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left) “L. Drouyn sculp.”; (centre) “PAYSAGE./ Paris, Publié par CADART & LUQUET, Editeurs, 79, Rue Richelieu.”; (right) “Imp. Delâtre, Rue S^t. Jacques, 303, Paris.”

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Plate 273: pastoral landscape with couple standing on small bridge over stram, surrounded by trees; from the fifth volume of prints produced by the Société des Aquafortistes. 1863” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1867-1214-36).

Condition: a richly inked and well-printed (near faultless) impression with generously wide margins in almost pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this superb etching of a light-filled forest with a man fishing off a narrow rustic bridge while steadying a female companion (his daughter?), for AU$281 in total (currently US$186.71/EUR174.39/GBP153.59 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this very beautiful etching revealing the artist's affinity with the concerns of the Barbizon movement—interestingly, Drouyn spent several years painting outdoors with Jules Coignet—and as a draughtsman of the smallest of details—an attribute in keeping with his fame as an authority on Romanesque art and medieval architecture—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Léo Drouyn's etching, “Bassin d’Arcachon”, 1860

Léo Drouyn (aka François Joseph Léo Drouyn) (1816–1896)

“Bassin d’Arcachon”, 1860, printed by Sarazin (aka Sarasin) (fl.c.1846–1880) and published in “L’Artiste”—a weekly illustrated Art review published in Paris from 1831 to 1904.

Note: Albert Quantin (1850–1930) republished (and printed) this plate with the original lettered text and publication details lightly erased and amended with a crude inscription at the lower right corner: “Imp. A. Quantin”. Note also that one internet site attributes this etching to Léo Drouyn’s son, Jean Léo-Drouyn (1872–1940), but I have no information to corroborate whether this is true. Nevertheless, I am mindful that the dates that Sarazin (the printer) flourished would mean that Jean Léo-Drouyn would need to have executed this plate when he was only eight years old … unlikely.

Etching with dot roulette printed in bistre coloured ink with light plate tone on chine-collé (China) on wove paper trimmed with a small margin (approx. 7 mm.) around the platemark and laid onto a sheet of heavy wove paper (archival Dutch Etch) to create a secondary/false margin, backed with a support sheet.

Size: (outer support sheet) 30 x 37.5 cm.; (trimmed sheet) 9.3 x 22.8 cm.; (plate) 7.8 x 21.2 cm.; (chine- collé) 7.1 x 20.4 cm.; (image borderline) 6.5 x 19.9 cm.

Signed on plate within the image borderline: (upper left corner) “Leo Drouyn”.

Lettered on plate outside the image borderline: (upper centre) “L’ARTISTE”; (lower left) “Leo Drouyn inv, et sculp.”; (lower centre) “BASSIN D’ARCACHON”; (lower right) “Imp. Sarazin. r. Git le Cœur, 8, Paris.”

Condition: well-printed strong impression with restored abrasion to the upper right corner of the chine- collé and a few handling marks, trimmed with a small margin around the platemark and laid upon a larger sheet of archival paper.

I am selling this vast and moody view of Arcachon Bay (France) that to my eyes seems to be executed outdoors to capture the intimate details of the landscape in the manner of the Barbizon School, for the total cost of AU$223 (currently US$152.96/EUR136.88/GBP117.76 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this delicately executed 19th century etching—note the detail in the rendering of the figures on the beach and the close observation of the bungalow construction (mindful that the artist was an architect), 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

Léo Drouyn’s etching, “The Pool”, 1857

Léo Drouyn (aka François Joseph Léo Drouyn) (1816–1896)

“The Pool”, 1857, presumably printed by Auguste Delâtre (1822–1907)

Etching on wove paper with plate tone

Size: (sheet) 12.8 x 11.9 cm; (plate) 8.6 x 8.8 cm; (image borderline) 7.6 x 6.9 cm

Inscribed within the image borderline: (upper left) “Leo Drougn 1857 … [?]

Inscribed below the image borderline; (left and right) partially erased, undecipherable text

Condition: crisp and well printed impression in pristine condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, abrasions, stains, age-toning, handling marks or foxing) with small margins.

I am selling this tiny etching drawn and with infinite care by one of followers of Victor Hugo and the Romantic movement with links to the Barbizon School of artists for a total cost of AU$124 (currently US$95.06/EUR80.59/GBP71.1 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this wonderfully crafted etching that glows with light and life, 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

This is a very small print. Despite its diminutive size, the portrayed scene—to my eyes echoing a similar image listed earlier of cattle fording a stream by Paul Huet—has the breadth of vision of a grand landscape. Perhaps I should not be surprised by the fineness of the etching or the projected scale of this miniature gem as it is the natural outcome of the artist’s background as an architect, archaeologist, scientist, painter and engraver. Indeed, Drouyn’s background is firmly grounded on so many skills involving creative invention that I see him as a true Renaissance man who just happened to live in the 19^th century. This tagging of Drouyn as a Renaissance man is not without significance as he was also fascinated by the distant past, even as far back as the Middle Ages.