Prints and Principles

Most of the recent posts give details about individual prints and earlier posts discuss some of the subtle principles guiding artists in making images meaningful and memorable. For prints that are unsold, click "Items still available for sale" below. All other prints are no longer available. My contact email is oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com and my Instagram username is @printsandprinciples. I have created a separate blog to show my own work: https://printsandprinciplesjamesbrown.blogspot.com

Tuesday, 26 December 2023

Arthur Mayeur’s colour aquatint with stipple engraving, “The Wicar Head”, c.1900

Arthur Mayeur (1871–1934)—French printmaker, sculptor and medallist

“The Wicar Head,” (aka “Buste de Femme sur Piédouche”; “Tête de Wicar”), c.1900, after an 17^th century Italian bust of a young woman executed in polychromed wax, terracotta and blown glass by an unidentified artist (see https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:T%C3%AAte_de_cire,_dite_T%C3%AAte_de_Wicar,_XVIIe_s,_cire_peinte,_terre_cuite_peinte_et_verre_souffl%C3%A9,_Anonyme,_Italie_(2).jpg). I suspect that copies of this head were used in the Art Academies of the time as I have an early charcoal study of the same subject from a French Academy. Interestingly, Ferdinand Gaillard (1834–1887) also made an exquisite engraving of the same head, “Tête de Cire” (Wax Head), which I will feature in a future post (see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1981-U-436).

Colour aquatint with stipple engraving, printed in sanguine and blue ink on cream chine collé on heavy wove paper, signed in the plate by the artist.

Size: (sheet) 39 x 29.3 cm; (plate) 29.l x 21.5 cm; (chine collé) 28.2 x 20 cm.

Signed in the plate at lower right: “A. Mayeur[f?]”.

The Musenor website offers a brief description of this print in the collection of the Beaux-Arts Museum of Arras at the former Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Vaast, France (Le Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Arras): https://webmuseo.com/ws/musenor/app/collection/record/30982.

Condition: Apart from a white mark on the figure’s lips, the impression is strong and well-printed. Beyond minor handling marks, the sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, or significant stains.

I am selling this very beautiful study of a sculpted bust of a young woman displayed on a pedestal base and finished with the unusual addition of blue accents, for AU$276 (currently US$188.58/EUR170.72/GBP148.11 at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) 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 visually striking portrayal of a sculpted head executed by a fine sculptor-printmaker, 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