Henri de Grandmaison, “Charge de Cuirassiers Prussiens”, 1870

Henri de Grandmaison (1834–1901)

“Charge de Cuirassiers Prussiens” (Charge of Prussian Cuirassiers), 1870

Context:

The Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) reshaped the balance of power in Europe and left a lasting mark on French visual culture. In this striking etching, Prussian cuirassiers—heavy cavalrymen recognisable by their metal breastplates and helmets—advance through an explosive, smoke-filled battlefield.

Rather than presenting a neat, triumphant charge, Henri de Grandmaison uses dense, textural linework and billowing clouds of smoke to convey the confusion and terror of modern warfare. His military background lends the scene particular immediacy: a full colonel who served in North Africa during the 1860s, de Grandmaison had firsthand experience of military life and its demands.

Published in 1872 by Alfred Cadart in “L’Illustration Nouvelle,” the print appeared soon after France’s defeat and the fall of the Second Empire. It offers a vivid glimpse of how French artists and audiences confronted the speed and violence of the conflict.

I have also previously listed another powerful etching by de Grandmaison, “They Slay, Die and Laugh,” c. 1871, which offers a further insight into the artist’s wartime experience: https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2021/05/henri-de-grandmaisons-etching-they-slay.html.

Technical Details & Condition

Etching on very thin, buff-coloured laid paper, with wide margins. This is a rare early proof impression, before the lettering for publication as plate 171 in L’Illustration Nouvelle (Paris: Cadart & Luce, 1872).

A strong, crisp, evenly printed impression. Apart from an historic pencil inscription identifying the print, the sheet is in near-pristine condition, with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, or stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 27.9 x 39.4 cm
• Image borderline: 13.8 x 21.6 cm

References:

• Beraldi (not catalogued): Henri Beraldi, “Les graveurs du 19e siècle; guide de l’amateur d’estampes modernes”, vol. 7 (Paris: L. Conquet, 1888), p. 201. Available via Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/lesgraveursdu19e07berauoft/page/200/mode/2up
• Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève: Charge de Cuirassiers Prussiens, 1872, record ID MM-837196. https://www.mahmah.ch/collection/artistes/de-grandmaison-henri
• Hamburger Kunsthalle: Angriff der preußischen Kürassiere / Charge de Cuirassiers Prussiens, 1872, object no. 72946. https://online-sammlung.hamburger-kunsthalle.de/de/objekt/72946/angriff-der-preussischen-kuerassiere--%22charge-de-cuirassiers-prussiens.%22

Price & Shipping

AU$247 (approximately US$173.31 / €153.83 / £128.45), including worldwide express shipping. Any applicable import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

To Purchase or Enquire

For questions or a PayPal invoice, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com.

Please note: The scan contrast has been digitally enhanced to show the print’s fine details more clearly. As a result, the digital image tones may not fully reflect the subtle tonal qualities of the physical original.

Workshop of Thielman Kerver, “The Arrest of Jesus”, 1523

Workshop of Thielman Kerver (also known as Thielman I Kerver) (–1522)

“The Arrest of Jesus” (also known as “The Betrayal in Gethsemane”), 1523

Technical Details & Condition:

An exceptionally rare vellum leaf from the French Book of Hours “Horae B. Mariae Virginis — Hore dive virginis Marie secundum verum usum Romanum” (Hours of the Blessed Virgin Mary according to the true Roman custom) printed at the press of Thielman Kerver (by his widow, Yolande Bonhomme) in Paris.

The recto features a central woodcut —or possibly a metalcut, based on the extreme fineness of the line and use of criblée (white dots)— depicting the arrest of Jesus with an elaborate pictorial border and Latin letterpress text printed in black and red. Section headings and paragraph marks are printed in striking red rubrication alongside the black text, a hallmark of high-quality Parisian two-colour letterpress printing. Crucially, the larger initial capitals are exquisitely hand-illuminated with liquid gold leaf over hand-painted red and blue backgrounds. The verso contains Latin letterpress text printed in striking black and red inks, with a small woodcut—depicting Saint Mark writing his Gospel while accompanied by his attribute lion—framed within late-medieval woodcut marginalium panels. Initial letters in the main text are also hand-illuminated with liquid gold over red and blue backgrounds.

The finely executed illustrations are strong, crisp lifetime impressions with minimal signs of wear to the printing plates. The hand-painted gold and coloured initial letters remain beautifully preserved with virtually none of the expected rubbing, and the red printed rubrications remain sharp and clear. The vellum sheet has beautiful natural age-toning and remains in excellent (museum-quality) condition for its 500+ year age, entirely free of tears, holes, folds, or distracting stains.

Context of the Book Leaf:

Produced at the absolute peak of the Parisian print Renaissance, Thielman Kerver’s workshop was globally celebrated for its complex geometric border panels and crisp typography. This specific leaf exemplifies early French book illustration at its finest, balancing dense letterpress text against vibrant rubricated accents and genuine hand-painted gold illumination.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 17.0 x 10.9 cm
• Inner image borderline (recto): 10.2 x 7.0 cm

Letterpress Lettering & Translations:

• Recto (John 18:1-2) “Passio domini nostri Iesu christi: secun- / dum Iohannem. / Egressus est dominus iesus cum discipulis suis / trans torrentem cedron vbi erat ortus: in quem / introiuit ipse & discipuli eius. Sciebat autem & iudas”
(Translation: “The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. / The Lord Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas also knew it.”)
• Verso (Matthew 2:10-11 & Mark 16:14-20): “gaudio magno valde. Et itrātes domū: iue … nē cōfirmāte sequētibus signis. Deo gras.”
(Translation: “...with exceeding great joy. And entering the house… confirming the word with signs that followed. Thanks be to God.”)

References:

• Marie Berthail, “The First French Engravers: A Nascent Art of Book Illustration”, 1986, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique Departmental Museums, p. 88, cat. no. 33
• Chase Shepard, “08, Comparison of Two Books of Hours Printed by Thielman Kerver” (2018): https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/31078

Price & Shipping:

AU$544 (approx. US$379.86 / €338.23 / £282.35), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if applicable) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To Purchase or Enquire:

Contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com for questions or a PayPal invoice.

This book leaf has been sold

John Sell Cotman, “Plate 47. Study of a Male Figure”, 1813–38

John Sell Cotman (1782–1842)

“Plate 47. Study of a Male Figure” (also known as “A Study”), 1813–38

Contextual Commentary:

This etching is based on Rembrandt’s page of studies executed between 1634 and 1638, “Study of the actor Willem Ruyter as a countryman, with alternative study of his head, and a bust-length study of a figure (c.q. kan?) holding a jug”, held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (acc. no. DYCE.435); see https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1023936/study-of-the-actor-willem-drawing-rembrandt-van-rijn/.

The V & A in its description of this drawing offers the following insights: “Rembrandt made several studies of the famous actor Willem Ruyter. The smock and cap are probably the costume of a country peasant worn by Ruyter in a popular play of the time. Rembrandt tinted the paper light brown to contrast with the dark ink he used for the drawing. The smudges of ink suggest that he used is finger to rub out areas with which he was unhappy.” (op. cit.)

Remarkably, V & A records indicate that Cotman himself likely owned this original Rembrandt drawing in London around the time he produced this plate. Furthermore, while most other plates in the wider series utilise soft-ground etching to mimic graphite sketches, Cotman opted here for a crisp, traditional line-etching technique—a deliberate choice that preserves the sharp pen-and-ink quality of the Rembrandt masterwork in his possession.

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on heavy buff-coloured wove paper with full margins and the original deckle edge on the left. Plate 47 from the 1838 Liber Studiorum published by Henry George Bohn. Strong, near-faultless impression in near-pristine condition, free of defects.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 47.0 x 31.4 cm
• Image borderline: 17.0 x 10.7 cm

In-Plate lettering:

• Upper right corner: “47”

References:

• Popham 340: Arthur Ewart Popham “The Etchings of John Sell Cotman” in Print Collector's Quarterly, vol. 9, 1922, p. 271, cat. no. 340 — Available via Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/printcollectorsq93carr/page/270/mode/2up
• British Museum, museum number 1859,0528.195: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1859-0528-195

Price & Shipping:

AU$284 (approx. US$198.48 / €177.17 / £147.91) with worldwide express shipping included. Any applicable import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

To Purchase or Enquire:

Contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com for questions or a PayPal invoice.

Please note: The scan contrast has been digitally enhanced to show the print’s fine details more clearly. As a result, the digital image tones may not fully reflect the subtle tonal qualities of the physical original.