Marcellin Desboutin, “Portrait of Renoir”, 1877

Marcellin Desboutin (aka Marcellin Gilbert Desboutin) (1823–1902)

“Portrait of Renoir” (aka “Portrait du Peintre Auguste Renoir”, “Portrait of Renoir, His Legs Crossed”; “Renoir les Jambes Croisées”), 1877. Note that this portrait was executed from Desboutin’s direct observation of Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), described by Noël Clément-Janin (1922) in his catalogue of Desboutin’s prints as “l'illustre peintre, au grand corps ‘dégingandé’” (the illustrious painter, with a large "lanky" body) (p. 249). Interestingly, Desboutin executed a second drypoint portrait of Renoir also drawn from direct observation/life in 1877; see https://www.artic.edu/artworks/27707/portrait-of-renoir. I understand that this impression is from an edition of 60 copies published by Henri Floury (aka Paul Henri Joseph Floury) (1862–1961) in Paris in 1922 for the deluxe edition of Clément-Janin’s “La Curieuse vie de Marcellin Desboutin, Peintre, Graveur, Poète”.

Drypoint with pale plate tone on fine wove (Japon) paper with a partial watermark and full margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 18 x 22.3 cm; (platemark) 22.5 x 15.8 cm; (image borderline) 21.6 x 15.1 cm.

State ii (of ii) with the addition of the inscribed name, “Renoir”.

Clément-Janin 208 (Noël Clément-Janin 1922, “La Curieuse vie de Marcellin Desboutin, Peintre, Graveur, Poète”, Paris, Henri Floury, p. 249, cat. no. 208 [see https://archive.org/details/lacurieuseviedem00clemuoft/page/248/mode/2up]).

The Philadelphia Museum of Art offers a brief description of this print before the addition of the title: https://philamuseum.org/collection/object/347898.

Condition: a strong and near faultless impression in a near pristine condition.

I am selling this rare and exceptionally beautiful portrait of the renown painter, Renoir, in a contemplative pose, for the total cost of AU $276 (currently/approximately US $181.42/EUR 169.05/GBP 144.66 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. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU $276) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this fine drypoint executed by the male model in Edgar Degas’ famous painting, “L'Absinthe” (aka “The Absinthe Drinker” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Absinthe]), 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

Jean Lepautre, “Font with Two Variants at Bottom and Ornamented with the Adoration of the Shepherds”, c.1667

Jean Lepautre (aka Jean Le Pautre; Jean Le Potre; Jean Lepotre) (1618–1682)

“Font with Two Variants at Bottom and Ornamented with the Adoration of the Shepherds”, c.1667, plate 2 from the series of six plates depicting fonts in the Roman style (“Plates ala Romaine”), published in 1667 by Jean Leblond I (aka Jean Le Blond) (c.1590/94–1666) with privilege from Louis XIV (King of France) (1638–1715). This hand-coloured impression is from the first edition before the edition by Pierre Mariette I) (1634–1716) in 1667 and the later edition by Charles Antoine Jombert (1712–1784) in 1751.

Etching with hand-colouring on laid paper and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 31.3 x 23 cm; (plate) 29.8 x 21.7 cm; (image borderline) 29.2 x 21.1 cm.

Inscribed in plate below the image borderline: (left) “le Bond exec avec Privilege”; (right) “le Potre fecit”

State i (of ii) before numbering and the addition of “P. Mariette ex.”

Condition: a slightly pale impression with vibrant watercolour hand-colouring showing minor staining of the colour in the small margin around the platemark. The sheet is in very good condition with no tears, holes or folds and is backed with a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper

I am selling this uniquely hand-coloured engraving for the total cost of AU $604 (currently US $394.72/EUR 368.94/GBP 315.92 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. Note that payment is in Australian dollars as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this ornamental design augmented with bold colouring, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

John Hamilton Mortimer, “Richard II”, 1775

John Hamilton Mortimer (1740–1779)

“Richard II”, 1775, from the series, “Twelve Characters from Shakespeare” (1775–76), published by the artist in London in 1775.

Etching on laid paper, trimmed around the image borderline and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (oval sheet trimmed at the image borderline) 34.4 x 28.3 cm.

Sunderland 96.2 (John Sunderland 1986, “John Hamilton Mortimer, His Life and Works”, The Walpole Society, vol. 52, cat. no. 96.2).

See also the description of this print offered by the British Museum: (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1850-0810-8).

The Metropolitan Museum of Art describes this point and provides the lines of text from Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, Act 3, Scene 2, that have been trimmed from this impression: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/407696.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression trimmed around the image borderline (with loss of the text beyond this borderline), backed with a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. There is a dark mark at the top of the sheet, otherwise the sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds or significant stains.

I am selling this exceptionally rare etching for AU$460 in total (currently US $300.61/EUR 280.98/GBP 240.60 at the time of posting 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. Note that payment is in Australian dollars as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this large and famous masterpiece showing the skeletal figure of Death wearing a feather crown about to dispatch the vain and arrogant Richard II with a VERY long pin, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Tchao Yen-Nien, “La Course Contre le Temps”, c.1954

Tchao Yen-Nien (aka Zhao Yannian; 赵延年; Yen-nien Chao; Dshau Jän-njän) (1924–2014)—an influential printmaker in China for his “innovative use of cutting and printing techniques” (see https://chineseposters.net/artists/zhaoyannian)

“La Course Contre le Temps” (The Race Against Time), c.1954, an original woodcut in two colours published in Peking (now Beijing) in 1956 by Éditions en Langues Étrangères (Foreign Languages Press) (fl.1952–) as plate 37 to the folio of 40 original woodcuts printed in the People’s Republic of China, “Gravures sur Bois de la Chine Nouvelle.” Note that this print was featured in the second National Exhibition of Fine Arts (China) in 1955 and was chosen from this exhibition for its inclusion in the 1956 folio of prints representing the achievements of “la Chine Nouvelle” (the new China).

Woodcut in two colours (olive and brown-black) printed on fine cream wove paper (China) with full margins and printed title as published.

Size: (sheet) 34.8 x 25 cm; (image borderline) 25.2 x 17.1 cm.

Dated vertically in plate at lower left, “1954 […]”.

Lettered below the image: (centre) “37. La course contre le temps  Tchao Yen-nien”.

Condition: a strong and well-printed (near faultless) impression in a pristine condition.

I am selling this superb two-colour woodcut designed to showcase the industrial advances in China in the mid-1950s—mindful that the artist belonged to the “All China Association of Anti-Enemy Woodcut Artists” and the folio in which this print features was published by a press that was later “owned and controlled by the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Languages_Press)—for AU$174 in total (currently US $113.71/EUR 106.29/GBP 91.01 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 powerful image of industry in the erection of a tower block that has (at least to my eyes) resonance with similar images of construction by the almost legendary, Frank Brangwyn (1867–1956)—see, for example, “Building the Victoria and Albert Museum”, 1904 (https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/43387/), 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

Abel Jamas, “Portrait of Chopin”, c.1938, after Delacroix

Abel Jamas (1862–c.1940)

“Portrait of Chopin” (aka “Frédéric Chopin”), c.1938, after the unfinished painting by Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863), “Portrait of Frédéric Chopin and George Sand”, 1838—note that this painting was later cut in two so that the each section could be sold separately with the portrait of Chopin now in the Louvre (Paris) (see https://www.wikiart.org/en/eugene-delacroix/frederic-chopin-1838).

Etching and engraving on cream wove (Japon) paper with wide margins and a remarque of a man’s face facing to the front with curled long hair and a pointed beard.

Regarding the remarque (the tiny etching of a rather gaunt head with its Van Dyck styled “goatee” shown below the main image), I believe that the subject may be a likeness of Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849), or at least, as the artist (Abel Jamas) imagined him. This idea (and it may be very flawed) is based on my understanding that Chopin suffered alopecia areata on the left side of his face. Going further, from my close examination of the image, only half a beard is shown and it is on Chopin’s right side. This stylistic arrangement of a half beard seems correct (for me), mindful that Chopin’s interest was all about his right side as that was the side his audience saw during a performance.

Size: (sheet) 55.8 x 43.8 cm; (plate) 39.8 x 29.9 cm; (image borderline) 33.2 x 26.8 cm.

See descriptions of this print offered by the Louvre and the Athens School of Fine Arts : https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl020529818 & https://digilib.asfa.gr/s/library-eng/item/2543.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression with generously wide margins in an excellent (near pristine) condition.

I am selling this large, rare and fascinating portrait of Chopin, with a tiny portrait remarque in the margin that may (if I am right and there is no certainty about this) show Chopin with a half-beard/“goatee” on his right side owing to his inability (because of a medical condition [alopecia areata]) to grow facial hair on his left, for AU$314 in total (currently US $205.54/EUR 191.45/GBP 164.24 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 marvellous portrait, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.