Mariano Fortuny, “Tangiers, a Group of Men Seated Near an Arch”, circa 1861

Mariano Fortuny (also known as Mariano Fortuny y Marsal) (1838–1874)

“Tangiers, a Group of Men Seated Near an Arch” (also known as “Tánger” or “Arabes Assis”), circa 1861

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on fine buff-coloured laid paper. Rare proof-state impression before the published edition. This early proof state is a scarce example printed before the addition of the published plate number (“17”), title lettering (“Tanger”), and ink-stamped signature seen on the standard edition held by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1932-0312-105.

Features a historical pencil inscription by an unknown early collector's hand below the platemark: “Arabes accroupis devant une porte. / (première eau-forte de Fortuny.)” (Translated: “Arabs squatting in front of a door / Fortuny's first etching.”).

The impression is richly inked with inky plate edges and strong tonal contrast. The sheet is in pristine, museum quality condition—entirely free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, or handling marks.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 24.1 x 14.7 cm
• Platemark: 9.6 x 7.1 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Signed within the image borderline at lower right: “Fortuny”

References:

• Vives 17 (Rosa Vives i Piqué, “Fortuny, gravador. Estudi catàleg raonat”, 1994)
• Páez 1981-85: Repertorio de Grabados Españoles en la Biblioteca Nacional (770.19)
• Prado 1992: Museo del Prado, catálogo de estampas (175)
• British Museum: Museum No. 1932,0312.105 (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1932-0312-105)
• Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET): Object No. 19.18.16 (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/656777)

Price & Shipping:

AU$288 (approx. US$198.76 / €174.51 / £160.90), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if applicable) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this exceptionally rare proof impression capturing an intimate scene of 19th-century Moroccan everyday life—depicting a group of local men clad in traditional hooded djellabas and wrapped headwear conversing before a Moorish horseshoe gateway—please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’m happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth, protected transaction.

Miquel Segui i Riera, “La Lecture”, 1887, after Mariano Fortuny

Miquel Segui i Riera (1858–1923)

“La Lecture” (The Reading), 1887, etching after Mariano Fortuny (also known as Mariano José María Bernardo Fortuny y Marsal and Mariano José María Bernardo Fortuny y Carbo) (1838–1874)

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on buff wove paper with wide margins professionally conserved with a washi paper support sheet.

This original etching is a translation of Mariano Fortuny’s pen and ink drawing, “A Gentleman Reading”, which is preserved in the permanent collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (https://artuk.org/discover/artists/fortuny-y-marsal-mariano-jose-maria-bernardo-18381874). The print belongs to a celebrated series of reproductive etchings after Fortuny's paintings and drawings. It was published in Barcelona in 1887 by the Centro Editorial Artístico de Torres y Seguí—a premium publishing house founded by the printmaker himself, Miquel Seguí i Riera. The plate was issued as a luxury full-page insert for Francesc Miquel i Badia’s definitive biographical and critical monograph, “Fortuny: su vida y obras: estudio biográfico-crítico”. The complete archival volume may be viewed via the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Digital Repository (https://ddd.uab.cat/record/72609), with this specific plate reproduced directly here: https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/llibres/1887/72609/fortuny_a1887@mnac_75.jpg

The impression is crisp, strong and well-printed. Aside from minor creases in the margin at lower right that are supported by the backing sheet, the etching is in excellent condition free of tears, holes, losses, abrasions or stains.

Note: The British Museum holds a photomechanical photogravure of Fortuny’s composition lettered “Photogravure Goupil & Cie. - Fac simile”—see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1874-0711-2838. Unlike Goupil's purely mechanical transfer, Seguí i Riera’s version is a true hand-etched translation. He manually worked the copper plate with an etching needle to recreate Fortuny's vibrant cross-hatching, adding a facsimile “Fortuny” signature to credit the master's original design.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 31.8 x 23.9 cm
• Platemark: 21.7 x 14.8 cm
• Image borderline: 17.8 x 12.3 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Below the image borderline at lower centre: “La Lectura”
• Within the image borderline at lower right: “Fortuny”

Price & Shipping:

AU$247 (approx. US$174.13 / €151.06 / £130.57), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if applicable) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this finely executed translation of Fortuny’s drawing into etched line, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’m happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth, protected transaction.

This print has been sold

Charles Waltner, “Le Vase de Chine”, 1875, after Mariano Fortuny

Charles Waltner (aka Charles Albert Waltner) (1846–1925)
“Le Vase de Chine” (The Chinese Vase),1875
After a painting by Mariano Fortuny (also known as Mariano José María Bernardo Fortuny y Carbo and Mariano José María Bernardo Fortuny y Marsal) (1838–1874) from the John W. Wilson Collection—a collection exhibited in Wilson’s gallery to showcase “the artistic and literary Circle of Brussels. For the benefit of the poor of this city” (see https://archive.org/details/catalogueraison00ledegoog/page/n153/mode/1up).

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on cream laid paper with full margins as published. The impression is strong (near faultless), with the sheet in pristine condition—free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, or signs of handling.
The etching was printed by Alfred Salmon (active 1863–1894) and published in Paris and London in 1875 by A. Ballue in volume 1 of the art periodical “L'Art: Revue Hebdomadaire Illustrée”, between pages 166 and 167.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 42.5 x 30 cm
• Plate: 29.5 x 22.2 cm
• Image borderline: 24.5 x 18 cm

Plate Lettering:

• Within the image borderline at the lower right corner (signature): “[M F]ortunty/ 1870”
• Lower left: “Mariano Fortuny pinx/ L’Art”
• Lower centre: “LE VASE DE CHINE/ (Collection de M. John W. Wilson)”
• Lower right: “Ch. Waltner sculp. / Imp. A. Salmon.”

References:

• Béraldi 48 (Henri Béraldi, 1892, Les Graveurs du XIXe Siècle: Guide de l'Amateur d'Estampes Modernes: Saint-Marcel–Zwinger, vol. XII, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, p. 262, cat. no. 48)
  (see https://archive.org/details/lesgraveursdu19e12berauoft/page/262/mode/2up)
• The British Museum describes this print: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1877-0210-440

Price & Shipping:

AU$214 (approximately US$140.90 / €120.96 / £106.46), including worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this exquisite etching—note the artist’s skill in capturing the shimmering effect of light bouncing off mirrors and gilded surfaces in the lavishly decorated room—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

Mariano Fortuny, “Young Man Standing Dressed in Rags”, c.1862

Mariano Fortuny (aka Mariano José María Bernardo Fortuny y Carbo; Mariano José María Bernardo Fortuny y Marsal) (1838–1874)

“Young Man Standing Dressed in Rags” (aka “Un Pouilleux”—lousy/flea-ridden/seedy/miserable), c.1862, a proof before the addition of the artist’s stamped signature and lettering for publication as plate 13 in a folio of 28 etchings (see the published state held by the MET: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/656766),  

Etching with plate tone on fine laid paper with partial watermark.

Size: (sheet) 25.3 x 16.2cm; (plate) 17 x 11cm; (image borderline) 15.4 x 9.4cm.

Inscribed in plate: (upper right corner) “Fortuny/ Roma”.

Vives i Piqué 13 (Rosa Vives i Piqué, 1991, “Fortuny, gravador: Estudi crític i catàleg raonat”, Associació d'Estudis Reusencs, cat. no. 13).

See also the description of this print offered by the British Museum: “A man with a cloak around his lower half searching in the folds for fleas. c.1862” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1932-0312-101).

Condition: a well-printed impression. Beyond unevenness on the left edge, the sheet is in a near pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains or signs of handling.

I am selling this rare and very beautiful etching before lettering for publication, for AU$304 (approximately US$195.95, EUR 171.30, or GBP 147.87), including express mail shipping worldwide.  Import duties, if any, are the responsibility of the buyer.

If you are interested in purchasing this sensitively executed representation of a man who is down on his luck—note the almost shimmering effect produced by the artist’s use of small strokes to render the figure—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.