Louis Orr, “Hotel de Sens”, 1919

Louis Orr (1879–1966)

“Hotel de Sens”, 1919

About the Subject:

This large and finely executed etching shows a dramatic street-level view looking down the Rue du Figuier beside the Hôtel de Sens in Paris. The building is of immense architectural importance, being one of only two remaining examples of a grand 15th-century private palace in the city. Originally constructed as the residence for the Archbishop of Sens, it embodies the historic spirit of old Paris. Louis Orr’s rendering captures the rugged texture of its stone façade and the striking projection of its turret into the alleyway, evoking a sense of the building’s storied past. This atmospheric quality is further enhanced by his inclusion of local figures in period dress, going about their daily lives.

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with rich plate tone on heavy wove paper with wide margins as issued. Published in Paris by the Chalcographie du Louvre and bearing the publisher’s official dry stamp (blind stamp) at lower centre.

This is an exceptionally strong and crisp impression—near faultless—displaying beautiful and nuanced tonal contrast. Aside from a small closed tear at the upper edge of the sheet, the sheet is in excellent condition—completely free of holes, folds, abrasions, foxing, or stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 63 x 44.5 cm
• Platemark: 51.5 x 31.8 cm
• Image borderline: 46.8 x 30.4 cm

Plate Lettering:

• Within image (lower-left edge): “Louis Orr Paris 1919”
• Below the image (left): “[scratched signature] Louis Orr”
• Below the image (centre): “HOTEL * DE * SENS / Eau=forte Originale par Louis Orr / CHALCOGRAPHIE DU LOUVRE”

References:

•  Louvre Reference: No. 6690, (P.-J. Angoulvent, “La Chalcographie du Louvre – Catalogue Général”, 1933, Musée National du Louvre, p. 448, no. 6690)
• Permanent collection of the Art Museum of the National University of Colombia (UNAL), Pizano Collection, inv. no. 1084.

Price & Shipping:

AU$282 (approximately US$199.45 / €171.98 / £148.68), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you’re interested in this large and dramatically imposing view of the late-medieval Hôtel de Sens, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

Charles Jacque, “Les Liseurs”, 1844

Charles Jacque (also known as Charles Émile Jacque) (1813–1894)

“Les Liseurs” (The Readers) Also known as “Liseurs (effet de lumière)” and “Chanteurs Nocturnes”, 1844

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on wove paper with wide margins. Printed in Paris by Auguste Delâtre (also known as Auguste Marie Delâtre, 1822–1907) in 1853 (dated by the period the printer occupied the inscribed address). The print is numbered “5” from a series of etchings by Jacque executed between 1843 and 1845 and published by the Alliance des Arts (Marchant), bearing the ink stamp “555” in the lower-right corner. Although Guiffrey’s (1868) catalogue of Jacque’s prints does not record this specific lettered state, Guiffrey notes that in the second state, engraved lines were added to the figure (see pp. 38–39).

The impression is richly inked and well-printed, showing slight signs of plate wear to the more distant face. The sheet remains in near pristine condition—entirely free of tears, holes, folds, or significant stains.

British Museum Description:

“The readers: a man seen half-length, standing in the dark, his face lit by candlelight, reading a letter and smiling; another figure reads over his shoulder; finished state, with hatching on the neck and the forehead of the main figure, with production and publication detail. 1844” (BM no. 1889,0608.24).

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 32 x 24.6 cm
• Platemark: 14.6 x 14.5 cm
• Image borderline: 12 x 12 cm

Plate Lettering:

• Below the image (left): “5. (Alliance des Arts) Merchant, r. de Rivoli, 140 / [scratched signature] CH. JACQUE”
• Below the image (right of centre): “Imp Aug Delatre Rue de la Bucherie, 6”

References:

•  Guiffrey 20 (J.-J. Guiffrey, “L’Oeuvre de Ch. Jacque: Catalogue de ses Eaux-Fortes et Pointes Sèches,” 1868, Paris, Lemaire, pp. 38–39, cat. no. 20 [Note: this lettered state is undocumented])
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1889-0608-24  
• IFF 64 (Jean Adhémar & Jacques Lethève, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800: HUMBLOT–JYG,” vol. 11, 1960, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, p. 103, cat. no. 64)— https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5489301d/f115.item    
• Beraldi 20 (Henri Beraldi, “Les Graveurs du Dix-Neuvième Siècle: GUÉRIN–LACOSTE,” vol. VIII, 1889, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, p. 177, cat. no. 20)

Price & Shipping:

AU$254 (approximately US$179.78 / €154.83 / £133.70), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you’re interested in this dramatically bold 19th-century depiction of candlelight illuminating two figures reading—note in particular the clusters of parallel strokes above the flare of the flame, suggesting not only the three-dimensional form of the ball of light but also connoting a sense of almost atmospheric turbidity as it fades into darkness—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

Ludwig Wilhelm Wittich, “Cross-Stitch Chart, No. 4032”, c.1830

Ludwig Wilhelm Wittich (1773–1832)—designer and publisher of the printed grid charts known as “Berlin Woolwork Patterns” (see https://berlinwoolwork.tumblr.com/theprints)

“Cross-Stitch Chart, No. 4032”, circa 1830

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching coloured with hand-painted gouache/opaque watercolour on heavy grey card, published in Berlin by Ludwig Wilhelm Wittich.

The design features a Boteh (Paisley) motif surrounded by vibrant floral arabesques set against a dramatic solid black ground. It is inscribed as number 55 (in the plate) of the embroidery templates known as Berlin Woolwork Patterns. Each square on the copperplate grid was painstakingly hand-coloured by workshop artisans to serve as a guide for cross-stitch or needlepoint embroidery.

The colours are vividly rich and have remained unfaded, painted with skill and care. A contemporary pen-and-ink inventory reference "M2." is inscribed in sanguine ink at the upper left corner. The top margin displays the original hand-painted colour key blocks used by the artisan during production. The verso contains minor, historical handwritten pencil notations. The sheet is in excellent condition with no tears, holes, or significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet (unevenly trimmed): 39.1 x 30.3 cm
• Plate: 30.1 x 28.6 cm
• Outer image borderline: 27.1 x 27.5 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Upper right corner: “4032”
• Left side at centre: “198”
• Lower left corner: “15.”
• Below the image at centre: “Berlin bei L.W. Wittich. Behren St, N^o: 53.”

Price & Shipping:

AU$369 (approximately US$260.10 / €224.75 / £194), inclusive of worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this exceptionally rare piece of design history—an amazing hand-painted colour chart printed on an etched grid meticulously crafted as a guide for cross-stitch embroidery—please contact me directly at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. A secure, itemised PayPal invoice will be generated to complete your purchase smoothly.

This print has been sold

Marcel Roux, “L'Échouée”, (published 1923)

Marcel Roux (also known as Barthélemy Auguste Marcel Roux) (1878–1922)

“L'Échouée” (also known as “The Stranded Woman”, or “Washed up”), pre-1914 (posthumously published 1923)

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching printed in brown ink on buff-coloured Lafuma wove paper (with partial “47” mill/batch watermark) with margins as issued. It was published in Paris by Albert Morancé in the French art and graphic arts quarterly review, “Byblis, Miroir des Arts du Livre et de l'Estampe,” in 1923.

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

Art Historical Insight

This specific print was chosen posthumously from the artist’s vast oeuvre to anchor a major retrospective tribute, summarising the thematic driving forces behind his creative vision. The unsettling image of a woman washed up on a shoreline, shadowed by ambiguous, dark forms beyond, epitomises the profound helplessness and spiritual despair Roux perceived in the moral decay of pre-war society. The striking care taken in modelling the woman's figure avoids simple idealisation; instead, this strict adherence to raw anatomical detail is directly attributable to Roux's early professional training as a medical illustrator documenting autopsies and anatomical specimens.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 22.5 x 28.1 cm
• Plate: 16.9 x 23.5 cm

References:

• Adventures in the Print Trade: https://adventuresintheprinttrade.blogspot.com/2011/08/another-side-of-marcel-roux.html
• Godart, Justin, “Marcel Roux: Graveur Lyonnais,” published in “Byblis, Miroir des Arts du Livre et de l'Estampe,” Paris, 1923

Price & Shipping:

AU$273 (approximately US$192.43 / €166.28 / £143.53), inclusive of worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this rare stand-alone etching—a powerful image that beautifully crystallises the artist’s unique vision of spiritual despair—please contact me directly at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. A secure, itemised PayPal invoice will be generated to complete your purchase smoothly.