Auguste Lançon, “Couching Dromedary”, 1866

Auguste-André Lançon (signed in the plate “André Lançon”—the name he used prior to 1872) (1836–1885)

“Couching Dromedary” (Dromadaire couché), 1866

Historical Context & The Van Gogh Connection:

This rare early print belongs to the Realist tradition of the 19th-century French Etching Revival. Auguste Lançon’s animal studies were highly influential and deeply respected by his contemporaries—most notably by Vincent van Gogh.

Van Gogh was a passionate collector of Lançon’s prints. In his personal letters to his brother Theo, Vincent frequently lauded Lançon’s genius for capturing the raw, unidealised character of animals, noting that Lançon’s draftsmanship possessed a rare honesty drawn straight from life.

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with plate tone on wove paper, with full margins as issued. This superb study depicts a camel with tents and the Great Sphinx in the background, from the rare early series “Animal Studies Drawn from Life” (Études d'animaux dessinées d'après nature). 

The etching was printed by Auguste Delâtre (1822–1907) and published in Paris by R. Schultz (active 1866–1872). 

The impression is strong and evenly inked, with crisp detail and no signs of wear to the printing plate. Aside from foxing marks confined to the upper right margin, the sheet remains in very good condition, with no tears, holes, folds, or abrasions.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 24.9 x 34.9 cm
• Platemark: 10.7 x 17.7 cm
• Image borderline: 10 x 17 cm

In-Plate lettering:

• Lower left: “1866 André Lançon”

References:

• Bibliothèque Nationale de France: Jacques Lethève & Françoise Gardey 1963, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800: KA–LAURENCE”, Paris, Département des Estampes, vol. 12, pp. 380–85, unrecorded/not described — https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5488490f/f392.item
• British Museum: Museum number 1872,1012.1465 — https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1872-1012-1465
• PROANTIC Marketplace: Reference number 828867— https://www.proantic.com/en/828867-etching-by-lancon-dromedary.html

Price & Shipping:

AU$212 (approximately US$150.98 / €131.39 / £112.73, subject to daily exchange rates). Price includes worldwide express shipping. Please note that destination import duties and local taxes remain the sole responsibility of the buyer.

If you’re interested in acquiring this curiously wonderful study of a camel settled squarely on its pads, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless transaction.

Lucas Vorsterman, “The Lamentation”, c. 1634, after Anthony van Dyck

Lucas Vorsterman I (also known as Lucas Aemilius Vorsterman) (1595–1675)

“The Lamentation”, circa 1634

Technical Details & Condition:

Engraving on laid paper featuring a grapes watermark (commonly found in Antwerp workshop printings from the 1630s), with thread margins surrounding the image border. This is an exceptionally rare lifetime impression from the first state (of five), prior to the addition of the production details in the second state. 

The composition is after the 1634 painting by Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641) housed in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich, inv.no.606. A highly finished grisaille preparatory work attributed to Vorsterman is also in Munich, inv.no.67. 

The impression is superb: richly and evenly inked, with crisp detail. Aside from minor restoration of small tears (visible only upon close inspection), the sheet remains in good condition for its age, with minor foxing in the lower left corner. The sheet has been stabilised and backed with a supportive, archival-quality washi paper, which also provides wide (false) margins suitable for framing. 

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 32.2 x 44.5 cm
• Image borderline: 32 x 44.3 cm

References:

• Hymans 35–1 (Henri Hymans, “Lucas Vorsterman, 1595–1675, et son Oeuvre Gravé”, 1972, Amsterdam G. W. Hissink & Co., p. 82, cat. no. 35–1)
• Hollstein Dutch 32.I; New Hollstein Dutch 539.I
• Carl Depauw & Ger Luiten, “Anthony van Dyck as a Printmaker”, 1999, New York, Rizzoli, pp. 263–66, cat. no. 36
• British Museum: Museum number 1868,0822.891 (State II) — https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1863-0214-743
• Rijksmuseum: Object number RP-P-OB-33.017 — https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200271406

Price & Shipping:

AU$653 (approximately US$467.60 / €403.07 / £345.26, subject to daily exchange rates). Price includes worldwide express shipping. Please note that destination import duties and local taxes remain the sole responsibility of the buyer.

If you’re interested in acquiring this spectacular first state lifetime impression of a masterwork engraving by Vorsterman, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless transaction.

Anthony van Dyck with Lucas Vorsterman, “Christ Crowned with Thorns”, c. 1630

Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641) in collaboration with Lucas Vorsterman I (also known as Lucas Aemilius Vorsterman) (1595–1675)

“Christ Crowned with Thorns” (also known as “The Mocking of Christ” or “The Reed Offered to Christ”), circa 1630

Artistic & Technical Collaboration:

The etching component was completed by the hand of Anthony van Dyck—as inscribed in the plate, “Anton. van Dyck invenit et fecit aqua forti”—and the plate was completed in engraving by Lucas Vorsterman. Notably, the technique of finishing an etching with burin (the engraving tool) was innovative at the time. Carl Depauw and Ger Luiten (1999) cite John Evelyn describing it as “a new invention linked to the name of Lucas Vorsterman.” 

Depauw & Luiten also suggest that Vorsterman re-etched the plate to create a spatter-like, speckled effect, transforming van Dyck’s parallel lines into detailed cross-hatching and expertly rendering textures, such as the shining Roman helmet.

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with engraving on laid paper, with narrow margins around the image border, retaining the verses below the image. This impression is from State VI (of VII) with the note of privilege (“Cum Privilegio”) erased, but before the addition of publication details for Jacques Philippe Le Bas (1707–1783) of Paris. 

The impression is strong, crisp, and evenly inked. The sheet is in excellent condition for its age, with only minor age-toning and traces of glue on the verso; otherwise, it remains free of tears, holes, folds, or significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 26.5 x 21.5 cm
• Image borderline: 24.4 x 21 cm

In-Plate lettering (below the image in two columns of two lines of Latin and publication details):

• Left: “Ecce stat innocuus spinis redemitus acutis, / Æmula sunt cuius bella labella rosis: / Anton. van Dyck inuenit et fecit aqua forti.”
• Right: “Et vero Iudæe illudis arundine Regi, / Impie sed nescis te mala quanta manent.”

(Translation): “Behold, he stands innocent, redeemed by sharp thorns, whose beautiful lips are envied by roses. And truly, O Jew, you mock the King with a reed, O impious, you do not know how many evils await you. Anthony van Dyck invented and made this with etching.”

References:

• Mauquoy-Hendricx (van Dyck) A-6 (Marie Mauquoy-Hendrickx, “L'Iconographie d'Antoine van Dyck: Catalog Raisonné”, 1991, Brussels, Royal Library Albert I, p. 116, cat. no. A-VI)
• New Hollstein Dutch 519
• Carl Depauw & Ger Luiten, “Anthony van Dyck as a Printmaker”, 1999, New York, Rizzoli, pp. 234–39, cat. no. 31
• British Museum: Museum number 1931,0413.11 — https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1931-0413-11
• Rijksmuseum: Object number RP-P-1953-709 — https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200127450

Price & Shipping:

AU$1058 (approximately US$757.99 / €654.14 / £560.05, subject to daily exchange rates). Price includes worldwide express shipping. Please note that destination import duties and local taxes remain the sole responsibility of the buyer.

If you’re interested in acquiring this superb original etching—an iconic image of Christ’s suffering, with the “supernatural glow” from his halo contrasted against the textured face of the tormentor—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless transaction.

This print has been sold