Romeyn de Hooghe, “Accused by the Devil”, 1694

Romeyn de Hooghe (also known as Romeijn de Hooge, or his satirical pseudonym, Gisling) (1645–1708)
“Accused by the Devil”—Plate 21 from the series, “Art of Dying Well” (also known as “Mirror for a Good Death”), 1694

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on laid paper, trimmed slightly irregularly around the image border. The print has been professionally mounted on a backing sheet of archival-quality washi paper, providing support and generous margins. 

Plate 21 is part of a series of forty-two plates initially published in Antwerp in 1673, later reissued in 1694 and 1700 by G. Gallet as illustrations to David de la Vigne’s “La manierè de se bien préparer à la mort par des considérations sur la Cène, la Passion, et la Mort de Jesus-Christ” (How to Prepare Well for Death through Reflections on the Last Supper, the Passion, and the Death of Jesus Christ).

The scene depicts the devil attempting to deceive a dying man, urging him away from a righteous life, while an angel offers warnings of the demon’s treacherous intent. Anchoring the biblical theme, the upper left includes a painting portraying the High Priest Caiaphas judging Jesus for blasphemy—paralleling the devil’s role. The accompanying explanatory text (see page 44 in the 1700 edition, where this etching appears as a reversed copy: https://archive.org/details/b30408453/page/44/mode/2up) cites Matthew 26:66: “Qu’en jugez-vous? Ils répondirent: il a mérité la mort” (“What do you think? They answered, He is worthy of death”).

This impression is richly inked, crisp, and well-printed—most likely a lifetime impression, as evidenced by the high quality of the line work, with no signs of wear to the plate. The sheet is in excellent condition, free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, or significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 19.3 x 15 cm
• Image borderline: 19 x 14.7 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Upper left: “21”
• Lower centre: “R: d H: f:”

References:

• Landwehr 27 (John Landwehr, Romeyn de Hooghe as Book Illustrator, Amsterdam, Vangendt & Co., 1970, p. 79, cat. no. 27)

Price & Shipping:
AU$292 (approximately US$205.85 / €178.58 / £154.34), including worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes (if applicable) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this striking Baroque etching—depicting angels and demons battling for the soul of a dying man, with faith and salvation hanging on his response to the framed image of Jesus before the High Priest—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’m happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth, protected transaction.

This print has been sold

Miquel Segui i Riera, “La Lecture”, 1887, after Mariano Fortuny

Miquel Segui i Riera (1858–1923)

“La Lecture” (The Reading), 1887, etching after Mariano Fortuny (also known as Mariano José María Bernardo Fortuny y Marsal and Mariano José María Bernardo Fortuny y Carbo) (1838–1874)

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on buff wove paper with wide margins professionally conserved with a washi paper support sheet.

This original etching is a translation of Mariano Fortuny’s pen and ink drawing, “A Gentleman Reading”, which is preserved in the permanent collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (https://artuk.org/discover/artists/fortuny-y-marsal-mariano-jose-maria-bernardo-18381874). The print belongs to a celebrated series of reproductive etchings after Fortuny's paintings and drawings. It was published in Barcelona in 1887 by the Centro Editorial Artístico de Torres y Seguí—a premium publishing house founded by the printmaker himself, Miquel Seguí i Riera. The plate was issued as a luxury full-page insert for Francesc Miquel i Badia’s definitive biographical and critical monograph, “Fortuny: su vida y obras: estudio biográfico-crítico”. The complete archival volume may be viewed via the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Digital Repository (https://ddd.uab.cat/record/72609), with this specific plate reproduced directly here: https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/llibres/1887/72609/fortuny_a1887@mnac_75.jpg

The impression is crisp, strong and well-printed. Aside from minor creases in the margin at lower right that are supported by the backing sheet, the etching is in excellent condition free of tears, holes, losses, abrasions or stains.

Note: The British Museum holds a photomechanical photogravure of Fortuny’s composition lettered “Photogravure Goupil & Cie. - Fac simile”—see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1874-0711-2838. Unlike Goupil's purely mechanical transfer, Seguí i Riera’s version is a true hand-etched translation. He manually worked the copper plate with an etching needle to recreate Fortuny's vibrant cross-hatching, adding a facsimile “Fortuny” signature to credit the master's original design.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 31.8 x 23.9 cm
• Platemark: 21.7 x 14.8 cm
• Image borderline: 17.8 x 12.3 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Below the image borderline at lower centre: “La Lectura”
• Within the image borderline at lower right: “Fortuny”

Price & Shipping:

AU$247 (approx. US$174.13 / €151.06 / £130.57), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if applicable) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this finely executed translation of Fortuny’s drawing into etched line, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’m happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth, protected transaction.

This print has been sold

Jules Laurens, “Head of Jesus”, circa 1869–1870, after Da Vinci

Jules Laurens (also known as Jules Joseph Augustin Laurens) (1825–1901)

“Head of Jesus”— a study in reverse after the depiction of Christ in Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, circa 1869–1870 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_%28Leonardo%29)

Technical Details & Condition:

Crayon-manner lithograph printed in black on heavy pale grey wove paper.

The lithograph was produced under the artistic direction of Sébastien Cornu (also known as Sébastien-Melchior Cornu) (1804–1870)—an academic painter and art educator involved in designing curricula for art institutions and French schools. It was printed in Paris by Lemercier & Cie (active 1827–1899) and published by August-Jean Morel (1820–1869).

The impression is crisp, strong and well-printed. Aside from a minor dot in the upper right, the sheet is in excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 49 x 32.3 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Upper left: “COURS ÉLÉMENTAIRE”
• Upper right: “PL_15”
• Lower left: “Sébast. Cornu direx^t.”
• Lower centre: “A. Morel Edit, 13, rue Bonaparte / Imp. Lemercier & C^ie, Paris”
• Lower right: “Laurens Lith”

Reference:

• IFF 63 (Jacques Lethève & Françoise Gardey, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800: LAURENCE–LÉPAGNEZ”, 1965, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département des Estampes, vol. 13, p. 24, cat. no. 63)— View entry on BnF Gallica: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k54892331/f36.image

Price & Shipping:

AU$229 (approx. US$163.44 / €140.39 / £121.48), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if applicable) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this finely executed study of a head—based on the head of Christ depicted in Leonardo’s The Last Supper—please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’m happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth, protected transaction.

Claude Lorrain, “The Flight into Egypt”, 1630–33 (2nd copy)

Claude Lorrain (aka Claude Gellée; Claude Le Lorrain; Claudio di Lorena) (1600–1682)

“The Flight into Egypt” (also known as “Vlucht naar Egypte” and “La fuite en Egypte”), 1630–33, printed from the original plate by McCreery in his 1816 edition of “200 Etchings”.

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on fine cream wove paper, trimmed along and slightly within the plate mark. The sheet has been professionally conserved with a washi paper support sheet. 

The impression is richly inked, crisp, and well-printed. The sheet is in excellent condition with no significant stains; however, when held to the light, faint traces of mounting on the verso may be visible in the upper corners. 

This piece is among Lorrain’s earlier prints, displaying the “right” mixture of a novice artist’s stylistic exploration and a struggle to communicate the essence of the biblical scene—focused on the Holy Family’s escape (assisted by angels) from King Herod’s edict to kill all newly born male children. 

In my view, Lorrain’s attempt to find a cohesive expressive voice is evident in the treatment of the landscape. For example, the mimetic rendering of the treetops in the upper right shows a different mindset compared to the horizontal strokes depicting the sky and the cleaved rocks in the foreground. Notice how he transitions from the cool, formulaic treatment of the rocks to a more sensuous, cross-hatched depiction of the broken ground on the left. Even in the sky, stylistic shifts are apparent—especially in the flurry of burnished adjustments mid-space. 

Regarding the biblical narrative, the Holy Family appears somewhat “lost” in shadows rather than being the visual focal point. While this may be viewed as a shortfall, personally, it allows the composition to read as a cohesive landscape, shimmering with light and atmosphere. 

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 10.5 x 17.5 cm
• Image borderline: 10.3 x 17 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• lower right “CLAU”

References:

• Blum 2; Mannocci 9; Robert-Dumesnil 1; IFF 2
• Rijksmuseum: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200130480
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_M-12-8

Please note that I previously listed a different impression of this etching (now sold): https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2019/04/claude-lorrains-etching-flight-into.html  

Price & Shipping:

AU$384 (approx. US$273.89 / €235.91 / £203.97), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if applicable) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this exceptionally rare etching by one of the most renowned early landscape artists, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’m happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth, protected transaction.