Joseph Parrocel (1646–1704)
“Jesus Christ Calms a Storm” (aka “Jesus Christ
appaise une tempéte”), 1661, plate 22 from the series of forty plates, “Les
Miracles de la Vie de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ” (The Miracles of the Life of
Our Lord Jesus Christ).
Etching on laid paper trimmed close to the image
borderline and retaining the title (with loss of the lower right biblical
reference: “St. Marc Ch. 4”).
Size: (sheet) 15.6 x 18.4 cm; (image borderline) 14.4
x 18.3 cm.
Inscribed In plate within the image borderline: (along
wave crest at lower left) “J. Parrossel. jn. et fe. C.P.R.”
Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (centre)
“JESUS CHRIST appaise une tempéte.”
State i (of ii) lifetime impression of the etched
state of the plate before it was later engraved in the second state.
Robert-Dumesnil in the catalogue raisonné for
this set of prints advises that the first state impressions of “pure etching”
are “rare.”
Arguably, this impression is very likely to have been
printed by the artist’s own hand as the inventory of his possession (dated 16
July, 1704) reveals that the artist possessed in the cellar of his house a
“press in oak wood” to print his plates.
Robert-Dumesnil 62 (22) (A P F Robert-Dumesnil
1835, “Le peintre-graveur français, ou Catalogue raisonné des estampes gravées
par les peintres et les dessinateurs de l'école française : ouvrage faisant
suite au Peintre-graveur de M. Bartsch”, vol. 3, Paris, p. 272, cat. no. 62 [22]:
see https://archive.org/details/bnf-bpt6k65575384/page/n291/mode/2up).
Robert-Dumesnil in the catalogue raisonné (1835)
offers the following description of this print:
(Transl.) “A ship beaten by the waves occupies the
middle; Our Lord can be recognized by the halo which surrounds his head” (p. 272).
Condition: a strong and well-printed impression, trimmed
within the platemark with partial loss of the biblical reference. There is
thinness to the lower edge (not visible unless the sheet is held to the light),
otherwise the sheet is in a very good condition with no tears, holes, folds, significant
stains or foxing.
I am selling this lifetime/first state impression of
an etching of the utmost rarity (see Robert-Dumesnil) before it was later
“finished” with engraving, for AU$235 in total (currently US$175.99/EUR152.24/GBP128.94
at the time of posting this print) including postage and handling to anywhere
in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some
countries.
If you are interested in purchasing this exceptionally
rare old master print, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I
will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.
This print has been sold
