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Saturday 7 September 2024

Étienne Delaune, “Abraham's Feast”, c.1560


Étienne Delaune (aka Stephanus) (c.1518–1583)

“Abraham's Feast” (aka “Abraham donnant un repas pour solenniser le jour ou fut sevré son fils Isaac.” [R-D title]; “Abraham Giving a Banquet on the Day Isaac is Weaned”), c.1560 (1550–1572), plate 23 from the series of 36 engravings, “The Genesis” (aka “Histoire de la Genèse”).

Interestingly, the Curator of the British Museum advises: “Panels set into a Limoges enamel casket made around 1600 […] were based on this print and others from this series” (BM inv. no. 1834,0804.77) (see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_WB-51).

Engraving on laid paper with narrow margins backed with a support sheet providing wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 8.9 x 11.3 cm; (platemark) 7.9 x 10.7 cm; (image borderline) 6.9 x 10.5 cm.

Lettered in plate within the image borderline: (left) “.CVM. PRI. REGIS.”; (left of centre) “STEPHANVS. F.”

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (centre) “GENES 21/ ABLACTATO ISAAC, CONVIVI ABRAHAM, VIDETO[que]/ SARRA FILIVM ABRAHE LASCIVIENTEM.” (transl. with apologies for any errors: “Genesis 21: After Isaac was weaned, I saw Abraham, and I saw Sarah leaving Abraham’s son”).

Robert-Dumesnil 46 (A.P.F. Robert-Dumesnil 1865, “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 Bartsch”, vol. 9, Paris, Bouchard -Huzard, p. 31, cat. no. 46 [see https://archive.org/details/bnf-bpt6k65575421/page/n51/mode/2up]).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Plate 23: Abraham giving a banquet on the day Isaac is weaned; the banquet is held in a room on the right; on the left a servant pours the content of a jug into a pan and stirs” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1834-0804-77).

Condition: a strong impression trimmed with a small margin around to the platemark and laid onto a sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or stains.

I am selling this superb engraving that is very likely to be a lifetime impression (based on the quality of line showing no sign of wear to the printing plate) and in a marvellously preserved condition, for the total cost of AU$298 (currently US$198.83/EUR179.30/GBP151.42 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 (AU$298) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this sensitively rendered tiny jewel of an engraving, 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