Nicolas de Launay, “La Bonne Mère”, 1779, after Fragonard

Nicolas de Launay (1739–1792)

“La Bonne Mère” (The Good Mother), 1779

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with engraving on wove paper, hand-coloured with watercolour—possibly from the time of printing.

This work belongs to a series depicting domestic scenes that celebrate maternal virtues, family happiness, and the importance of motherhood—an especially popular theme in late 18th-century French art. The engraving is based on a painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) and features an inscription dedicated to François-Marie Ménage de Pressigny (c. 1733–1794), a wealthy French financier and tax farmer-general who owned the original painting. The inscription also identifies Fragonard as “Peintre du Roi” (Painter to the King) and Nicolas de Launay as “Graveur du Roi” (Engraver to the King).

Interestingly, Fragonard’s original painting was not titled “La Bonne Mère.” This name was created specifically for the print, and due to its popularity, it eventually became associated with the original artwork as well. At the time, this print enjoyed significant commercial success and remains one of the most well-known prints linked to Fragonard.

The impression is strong and well-printed, with wide margins as issued. The delicate hand-colouring remains unfaded despite the age of the print. Aside from a few minor bumps and subtle age-toning, the sheet is in excellent condition.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 66.6 x 51.2 cm
• Platemark (soft): 58.8 x 44.1 cm
• Image borderline: 57.1 x 42.8 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Lower border: “Fragonard Pinxit 1779. De Launay Sculpsit.”
• Lower left: “Peint par Fragonard”
• Lower centre (title): “LA BONNE M[È]RE.”, flanked by a central coat of arms
• Lower centre (dedication): “Gravée d’après le […] Tableau de Fragonard / Par […] De Launay.”
• Lower centre (address): “à Paris chez De Launay […] Graveur du Roy, rue et porte S^t. Jacques N^o. 112. cm
• Lower right: “par N. De Launay”

References:

• IFF 196.II; Portalis 34
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/369389   
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1871-0812-5596

Price & Shipping:

AU$343 (approximately US$234.97 / €204.40 / £177.55), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this large and renowned Rococo print—a quintessential vision of family happiness capturing a mother washing her daughter’s face in a park—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll be happy to provide a PayPal invoice for a smooth and secure purchase.

Jean Mathieu, “Le Serment d'Amour”, 1786, after Jean Honoré Fragonard

Jean Mathieu (1749–1815)

“Le Serment d'Amour” (The Vow of Love), 1786

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with engraving on wove paper, hand-coloured with watercolour—possibly from the time of printing. This is a lifetime impression of the second state, prior to the erasure of the word “français” and its replacement with “du Roi” in the third and final state, published in Paris by Jean Mathieu. The design is based on a painting by Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806), now housed at the Villa Musée Jean-Honoré Fragonard in Grasse, France (see: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fragonard_-_Le_serment_d%27amour_143N09301_7VMK3.jpg).

The impression is strong and well-printed, with margins. The hand-colouring is delicately applied and appears unfaded despite the age of the print. Aside from a few minor bumps and subtle age-toning, the sheet is in excellent condition—free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, and significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 66.3 x 51 cm
• Platemark (soft): 58.8 x 44.3 cm
• Image Borderline: 57.5 x 43.2 cm

Lettering in Plate:

• Lower tablet: “LE SERMENT D'AMOUR/ Gravé par J.Mathieu d'après le Tableau d' h.Fragonard P.^tre français/ Paris chez l'Auteur Cloitre S^t.Benoit Maison de Mr. Demarteau.”

References:

• Portalis 154; Le Blanc 15; Lawrence & Dighton 143
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1871-0812-3726
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/369384
• Art Institute of Chicago: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/30069/le-serment-d-armour-the-sermon-of-love  

Price & Shipping:

AU$343 (approximately US$239.76 / €201.20 / £174.40), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this large and renowned etching—a quintessential French Rococo vision of love, capturing a couple sealing their pledge of devotion by each placing a hand on a sculpted tablet held by putti—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I will be happy to send a PayPal invoice for a smooth and secure purchase.

This print has been sold

Benoît Louis Prévost, “Women with Children and Prophets on Clouds”, c.1780

Benoît Louis Prévost (c.1735–1804)

“Women with Children and Prophets on Clouds” (aka “Prophetes ou Apôtres peints par l'Espagnolet dans les Archivoltes de la Nef de l'Eglise Chartreux à Naples”), c.1780, after Francesco Solimena’s (1657–1747) designs for the women and children and after Jusepe de Ribera’s  (1591–1652) designs for the prophets, follow the intermediary drawn design by Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806), published by Jacques-Gabriel Clousier (c.1750–1804) (aka l'Imprimerie de Clousier) in Paris in 1781 in Jean Claude Richard de Saint Non’s (1727–1791) “Voyage Pittoresque ou Description des Royaumes de Naples et de Sicilie”, volume 1 (of four), part 1, facing page 112 (see https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010908040/page/n203/mode/2up).

Etching on laid paper (with watermark) with a small margin around the platemark.

Size: (sheet) 26.5 x 38.8 cm; (plate) 25.3 x 37.3 cm; (left image borderline) 20.6 x 15.8 (right image borderline) 20.6 x 16 cm.

Lettered in plate above the right image borderline: (right) “Naples.”

Lettered in plate below both image borderlines: (left) “Fragonard Del.”; (centre) “Prophetes ou Apôtres peints par l'Espagnolet dans les Archivoltes de la Nef de l'Eglise Chartreux à Naples./ Les Groupes de femmes et d'enfants qui sont au dessous sont de Solimenes et font partie des charmantes peintures de ce/ Maitre qui sont dans la Sacristie de l'Eglise de S^t. Paul.” ([transl.] “Prophets or Apostles painted by the Spaniard in the Archivolts of the Nave of the Carthusian Church in Naples./ The Groups of women and children below are by Solimenes and are part of the charming paintings of this/ Master which are in the Sacristy of the Church of St. Paul.”; (left) “B.L. Prevost Sculp./ A.P.D.R.”

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression. Beyond a dot stain in the right margin, the sheet is in a very good condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains.

I am selling this sensitively executed etching showing panels from Francesco Solimena’s frescoes executed between 1689 and 1690 in San Paolo Maggiore in Naples, featuring holy men (possibly two Prophets or Apostles) consulting scriptures in the upper corners and personifications of the eight Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount which I understand offer hope for eternity in heaven—for the total cost of AU$255 (currently US$166.76/EUR153.39/GBP131.08 at the time of posting this) including 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 interesting etching that brings together the designs and skills of four significant artists (viz. Benoît Louis Prévost; Francesco Solimena; Jusepe de Ribera and Jean Honoré Fragonard) in a very beautiful diptych, 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

Nicolas François Regnault’s colour stipple engraving, “The Stolen Kiss”, 1788, after Fragonard

Nicolas François Regnault (1746–1810)

“The Stolen Kiss” (aka “The Secret Kiss”; “Le Baiser à la Dérobée”), after the painting (1787) of the same composition in reverse by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732– 1806) and Marguerite Gérard (1761–1837)—Fragonard’s student and sister-in-law (see https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Baiser_à_la_dérobée)—in the collection of the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, published in Paris by Regnault.

Hand-coloured stipple etching and engraving on heavy wove paper, trimmed with a small margin around the platemark on the top and sides and sightly within the platemark on the lower edge.

Size: (sheet) 43 x 51 cm; (image borderline) 35.6 x 45.9 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (centre) “LE BAISER A LA DEROBÉE./ Gravé Par N. F. Regnault, d’Après le Tableau d’h. Fragonard, Peintre du Roi/ AParis chez Regnault, Rue de Montmorency, N^o. 22.”

Henri Béraldi and Roger Portalis (1882) in “Les G r a v e u r s du Dix-Huitième Siècle”, Vol. 3, Part 1 (Paris, Damascéxe Morgand et Charles Fatout) offer the following description of the printing process used by Regnault: (transl.) “a very fine dotted process [recalling] the black manner [‘la manière noire’]” (p. 385).

See the description of this print offered by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: https://www.famsf.org/artworks/le-baiser-a-la-derobee-the-stolen-kiss .

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression with age-toning and significant scattered foxing.

I am selling this amazingly fine coloured stipple engraving, published just one year after the famous painting by Fragonard was completed, showing a young lady torn between a clandestine kiss by simultaneously leaning towards her lover, but with fear in her eyes and a long restraint in her wardrobe holding her back from illicit dalliance, for the total cost of AU$287 (currently US$191.83/EUR173.57/GBP152.79 at the time of this listing) including 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 beautiful portrayal of aristocratic intrigue executed at the time when the French revolution was crumbling the very foundations of polite society, 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