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

Sunday, 12 January 2025

Charles Deblois, “The Retreat from Russia”, 1868, after John Gilbert

Charles Deblois (aka Charles Alphonse Deblois) (1822–c.1883)

“The Retreat from Russia” (aka “La Retraite de Russie”; “Russia’s Retreat”; “A Troop of Dragoons in a Storm”), 1868, after a painting by John Gilbert (aka Sir John Gilbert) (1817–1897), printed by Auguste Delâtre (1822–1907), published (based on advice from the seller from whom I purchased this print) in the art periodical, “L'Artiste”.

Note that George Pike Nicholls (fl.1841-1887) executed the wood-engraving, “A Troop of Dragoons in a Storm”, that is also after Gilbert’s painting; see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1895-0617-769 (BM inv. 1895,0617.769).

Etching on wove paper trimmed with a small margin around the plate-mark and backed with a support sheet providing wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 17.6 x 22.3cm; (plate) 15.2 x 20.1cm; (image borderline) 11.2 x 16.1cm.

Inscribed in plate below the image borderline: (left) “John Gilbert juin 1868”; (right) Ch Deblois. [f?]ils s.c./ Imp Dela[t]re”.

Not described by IFF or Beraldi, nevertheless, the Museum of Art and History offers a description of this print: https://www.mahmah.ch/collection/oeuvres/la-retraite-de-la-russie/e-2020-1244.

Condition: a richly inked and well-printed (near faultless) impression with small margins in a near pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds or abrasions and laid onto a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper providing wide margins.

I am selling this small dark nugget of an etching showing Napoleon’s retreating troops from Moscow in what must have been dreadful blizzard-like conditions during winter, for AU $206 in total (currently US $126.69/ EUR 123.63/ GBP 103.76 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 $206) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in visually arresting image, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Note that I have listed a curiously interesting lithograph also depicting Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow, “Les Funérailles”, c.1898, by Adolphe Willette that is currently still available: https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2024/01/adolphe-willettes-lithograph-les.html?m=0.

This print has been sold