Charles
Jacque
(also known as Charles Émile Jacque) (1813–1894)
“Les
Liseurs” (The Readers) Also known as “Liseurs (effet de lumière)” and “Chanteurs
Nocturnes”, 1844
Technical
Details & Condition:
Etching
on wove paper with wide margins. Printed in Paris by Auguste
Delâtre (also known as Auguste Marie Delâtre, 1822–1907) in 1853 (dated by the
period the printer occupied the inscribed address). The print is numbered “5”
from a series of etchings by Jacque executed between 1843 and 1845 and
published by the Alliance des Arts (Marchant), bearing the ink stamp “555” in the lower-right corner. Although Guiffrey’s (1868) catalogue of
Jacque’s prints does not record this specific lettered state, Guiffrey notes
that in the second state, engraved lines were added to the figure (see pp.
38–39).
The
impression is richly inked and well-printed, showing slight signs of plate wear
to the more distant face. The sheet remains in near pristine condition—entirely
free of tears, holes, folds, or significant stains.
British
Museum Description:
“The
readers: a man seen half-length, standing in the dark, his face lit by
candlelight, reading a letter and smiling; another figure reads over his
shoulder; finished state, with hatching on the neck and the forehead of the
main figure, with production and publication detail. 1844” (BM no. 1889,0608.24).
Dimensions:
• Sheet: 32 x 24.6 cm
• Platemark: 14.6 x 14.5 cm
• Image borderline: 12 x 12 cm
Plate
Lettering:
•
Below the image (left): “5. (Alliance des Arts) Merchant, r. de Rivoli, 140 /
[scratched signature] CH. JACQUE”
• Below the image (right of centre): “Imp Aug Delatre Rue de la Bucherie, 6”
References:
• Guiffrey 20 (J.-J.
Guiffrey, “L’Oeuvre de Ch. Jacque: Catalogue de ses Eaux-Fortes et Pointes
Sèches,” 1868, Paris, Lemaire, pp. 38–39, cat. no. 20 [Note: this lettered
state is undocumented])
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1889-0608-24
• IFF 64 (Jean Adhémar & Jacques Lethève, “Inventaire du Fonds
Français après 1800: HUMBLOT–JYG,” vol. 11, 1960, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale
de France, p. 103, cat. no. 64)— https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5489301d/f115.item
• Beraldi 20 (Henri Beraldi, “Les Graveurs du Dix-Neuvième Siècle:
GUÉRIN–LACOSTE,” vol. VIII, 1889, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, p. 177,
cat. no. 20)
Price
& Shipping:
AU$254 (approximately US$179.78
/ €154.83 / £133.70), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and
taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.
If you’re interested in this dramatically bold 19th-century depiction of
candlelight illuminating two figures reading—note in particular the clusters of
parallel strokes above the flare of the flame, suggesting not only the
three-dimensional form of the ball of light but also connoting a sense of almost
atmospheric turbidity as it fades into darkness—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com.
I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.
