Claude Lorrain, “Le Bouvier”, 1636

Claude Lorrain (also known as Claude Gellée, Claude Le Lorrain, Claudio di Lorena) (1600–1682)

“Le Bouvier” (The Cowherd), 1636 — 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, with loss of the inscription below the image at right (“Claudius in. et f. Romae 1636 138 ne ficcen”). The sheet has been professionally conserved with a washi paper support sheet.

The impression is richly inked, crisp, and evenly printed. The sheet is in excellent condition, free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, or stains.

Artistic & Technical Insights:

Lino Mannocci (1988) discusses this etching and raises several interesting points: 

“Arthur Hind (1923, p. 163, note I) erroneously linked Seymour Haden's remarks about La Danse Villageoise with this plate and suggested that ‘Claude may in places have roughened the plate with a pumice stone and scraped out the lines of light’. H. D. Russell (1982, p. 357, note 6) corrects this error and suggests that ‘some form of roulette instrument would more likely have been used’” (p. 141).

Mannocci further proposes: 

“The suggestion that ‘Claude is likely to have proceeded in the manner of modern etchers: by laying a transparent ground on the plate with a roller’ is probably correct. ‘Only the very finest lines would have been closed by this procedure, the others remaining open to the acid’” (op. cit).

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 12.7 x 19.8 cm

References:

• Blum 18; Mannocci 18; Robert-Dumesnil 8; IFF 18; Russell 27
• Rijksmuseum: Object No. RP-P-OB-5681 (https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200130489)
• British Museum: Museum No. 1868,0822.901 (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0822-901)

Price & Shipping:

AU$384 (approx. US$266.46 / €232.92 / £198.53), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if applicable) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this rare etching—a superbly rich impression taken from the original plate by McCreery in 1816—this work exemplifies Claude Lorrain’s innovative approach to capturing the fleeting, ephemeral qualities of nature. To arrange purchase, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless and protected transaction.

Eugène Pirodon, “Soleil Couchant”, 1873, after Jules Dupré

Eugène Pirodon (also known as Eugène Louis Pirodon) (1824–1917)

“Soleil Couchant” (Sunset), 1873

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on buff-coloured laid paper with wide margins. This etching is based on a painting by Jules Dupré (also known as Jules Louis Dupré) (1811–1889) and was printed in Paris by François Liénard (active circa 1860s–1880s). 

The original canvas was once part of the renowned 1840s Parisian collection of Daniel Wilson, before being acquired by the legendary dealer Paul Durand-Ruel in March 1873. It was later purchased by the prominent European collector John Waterloo Wilson, who commissioned Eugène Pirodon to create this etching specifically to record the masterpiece for his landmark 1873 collection catalogue: “Collection de M. John W. Wilson: Exposée dans la Galerie du Cercle Artistique et Littéraire de Bruxelles,” published in 1873.

The impression is richly inked, with strong contrasts and evenly printed—a nearly faultless impression. The sheet is in near-pristine condition, free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, or handling marks.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 26.2 x 34 cm
• Platemark: 21.5 x 27.6 cm
• Image borderline: 14.6 x 24.2 cm

In-Plate Lettering below the image:

• Left: “Jules Dupré, pinx.”
• Centre: “SOLEIL COUCHANT. / F^çois Liénard, Imp. Paris.”
• Right: “Eug. Pirodon, sc.”

Reference:

• British Museum: Museum No. 1877,1013.1806 (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1877-1013-1806)
• Exhibition Catalogue: “Collection de M. John W. Wilson: Exposée dans la Galerie du Cercle Artistique et Littéraire de Bruxelles,” Paris, 1873, p. 149
• Scholarly Article: Andrew Watson, “An Englishman in Paris: John Waterloo Wilson’s Remarkable Collection of French Nineteenth-Century Art,” Cahiers Bruxellois, 2016, Note 19 (https://shs.cairn.info/revue-cahiers-bruxellois-2016-1-page-83?lang=fr)

Price & Shipping:

AU$236 (approximately US$163.85 / €143.5 / £122.70), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this poetically storm-threatened sunset scene in marshland, featuring a lone fisherman, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

Caspar Merian, “Ambt Zechlin”, circa 1652

Caspar Merian (1627–1686) — Son of Matthäus Merian the Elder

“Ambt Zechlin” circa 1652— An historic 17th-century administrative district and princely estate located within the Margraviate of Brandenburg, Germany, approximately 75 km northwest of Berlin (see Rheinsberg – Wikipedia). Today, the area is part of the town of Rheinsberg (Rheinsberg – Wikipedia).

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on laid paper with wide margins as issued. The sheet retains the vertical centrefold of the first edition, published in 1652 by the heirs of Matthäus Merian the Elder (1593–1650), between pages 124 and 125 in “Topographia Electorat Brandenburgici et Ducatus Pomeraniae” (see: https://archive.org/details/dbc.wroc.pl.012564/page/n191/mode/2up).

The impression is strong, crisp, and evenly printed, reflecting the quality of line work typical of a lifetime impression. It shows minimal signs of wear to the printing plate. Aside from a supported closed tear in the centrefold, minor holes, and surface marks, the sheet is in excellent condition considering its age.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 33.5 x 39.1 cm
• Platemark: 23.6 x 36.5 cm
• Outer image borderline: 23.2 x 26.2 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Upper centre: “Ambt Zechlin”
• Lower left: “Casp: Merian / fecit.”

Price & Shipping:

AU$244 (approximately US$169.49 / €148.27 / £126.69), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you’re interested in this historically significant and detailed 17th-century panoramic view of Ambt Zechlin—one of the earliest and most comprehensive visual records of the region’s architecture and lake topography—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.