Léopold Flameng, “The Blue Boy, par Gainsborough” (2nd copy)

Léopold Flameng (aka Léopold Joseph Flameng) (1831–1911)

“The Blue Boy, par Gainsborough” (as inscribed in plate), 1862, after Thomas Gainsborough’s (1727–1788) famous portrait (c.1770) in the Huntington Library, San Marino (California), first published in “La Gazette des Beaux Arts”, 1862, vol. 13, and printed by Auguste Delâtre (aka Auguste Marie Delâtre) (1822–1907) between pages 112 and 113 (see https://archive.org/details/gazettedesbeauxa13pari/page/112/). The plate was republished in c.1890 by Imprimerie Charaire et Cie and printed by Chardon-Wittmann (fl.c.1884–1890) in Paris, in Teodor de Wyzewa’s “Les Chefs-D'Oeuvre de l'Art au XIXe siècle”, p. 120 (see https://archive.org/details/leschefsdoeuvred04michuoft/page/120/). This impression is from the earlier edition.

The fame of Gainsborough’s painting, reputed to be a portrait of Jonathan Buttall (1752–1805) dressed in a manner similar to Van Dyck's portrait of Charles II as a boy in “The Children of King Charles I of England”, 1637, rests to a large part on it representing a rebuttal of advice (shown below) advocated by his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792)—founder and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts:

“It ought, in my opinion, to be indispensably observed, that the masses of light in a picture be always of a warm, mellow colour, yellow, red, or a yellowish white, and that the blue, the grey, or the green colours be kept almost entirely out of these masses, and be used only to support or set off these warm colours; and for this purpose, a small proportion of cold colour will be sufficient. Let this conduct be reversed; let the light be cold, and the surrounding colour warm, as we often see in the works of the Roman and Florentine painters, and it will be out of the power of art, even in the hands of Rubens and Titian, to make a picture splendid and harmonious” (see Ronald Sutherland Gower 1903, “Thomas Gainsborough”, G. Bell and Sons. pp. 77–78).

Etching on buff coloured chine collé (China) on heavy wove paper with margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 24.7 x 15 cm; (plate) 22.2 x 11.9 cm; (chine collé) 19.8 x 11.9 cm.

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (lower right) “FLAMENG. S.”

Lettered in plate along the lower edge: (left) “Gazette des Beaux-Arts.”; (centre) “THE BLUE BOY, PAR GAINSBOROUGH”; (right) " Imp. A. Delâtre Paris.”

Beraldi 102 (Henri Beraldi 1885, “Les Graveurs du dix-neuvième siècle”, vol. 11, p. 162, cat. no. 102); IFF 104 (“Inventaire du Fonds Français: Bibliothèque Nationale, Département des Estampes”, Paris, 1930).

The British Museum offers a description of this print before lettering with publication details: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1895-1015-100.

Condition: richly inked and well-printed impression with small margins and laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper providing wide margins. Beyond a closed tear in the margin at lower left, the sheet is in an excellent condition with no holes, folds, abrasions or stains.

I am selling this etching of Gainsborough’s famous portrait by one of the major printmakers of the 19th century, for the total cost of AU$233 (approximately US$152.56, EUR 130.39 or GBP 112.57), including express mail shipping worldwide. Import duties, if any, are the responsibility of the buyer.

If you are interested in purchasing this superb etching showing great insight about using line to connote space—note, for example, how Flameng has shaded the boy’s further back leg with horizontal strokes to set it slightly more into the distance and in shadow—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Paul Rajon, “The Blue Boy”, 1881, after Gainsborough

Paul Rajon (aka Paul Adolphe Rajon) (1843–1888)

“The Blue Boy”, 1881, an exceptionally rare proof-state impression before lettering for publication with remarque sketches in the margins and what may be a wiped area of the artist’s thumb mark at upper left, after Thomas Gainsborough’s (1727–1788) famous painting, “The Blue Boy”, in the Huntingdon Art Gallery, California.

Etching with drypoint remarque images and plate tone on laid paper (with partial watermark).

Size: (sheet) 44.3 x 30.2cm; (plate) 28.4 x 20.7cm; (image borderline) 23.9 x 15.9cm.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print in its published state: “The 'Blue Boy', portrait of Jonathan Buttall after Gainsborough (Waterhouse 106), standing whole-length slightly turned to left in a landscape, looking to the front with his left hand on his hip and holding his hat by his side in his right; published in 'L'Art'” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1882-0211-183 [inv. 1882,0211.183]).

Note that I have previously listed the following prints after Gainsborough's “The Blue Boy”: Auguste Brouet’s etching and aquatint (https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2020/10/auguste-brouets-etching-and-aquatint.html) and Léopold Flameng’s etching (https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2020/03/leopold-flamengs-etching-blue-boy-1862.html).

Beraldi 102 (Henri Béraldi 1891, “Les Graveurs du XIXe Siècle: Guide de l'Amateur d'Estampes Modernes: PILLEMENT–SAINT-ÈVRE”, vol. 11, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, p. 162, cat. no. 102).

Beraldi makes the interesting comment regarding Rajon’s remarque proofs (like this print): (transl.) “… there is a rich clientele fond of luxury proofs and remarque proofs … collected at very high prices as soon as they appeared” and proposed: “Rajon used and abused sketches in the margins” (pp. 153–54).

Condition: a richly inked trial proof with remarque images in the margins and a wiped area at upper left where the artist possibly held the plate during the wiping of the plate before printing. Beyond a pencil inscription by a past collector along the lower edge, the sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or stains.

I am selling this exceptionally rare proof-state etching before lettering with freely inscribed remarque images, for AU $289 in total (currently US $179.64/ EUR 174.19/ GBP 144.61 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 $289) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this remarkable etching translating Gainsborough's famous painting into line, 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

John Laporte’s soft-ground etching, “A View near Uxbridge”, 1801–02, after Gainsborough

John Laporte (1761–1839)

“A View near Uxbridge”, 1801/2, a soft-ground etching after a drawing by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788), published in London in 1802 by John Peter Thompson (aka Darling & Thompson) (c.1792–1813), possibly from Laporte's series of progressive lessons in landscape, “from nature, in imitation of pencil, from the original drawings” (see the documentation about Laporte’s published prints provided by Ken Spelman’s Books, “The Drawing Project”: https://www.kenspelman.com/ARTBIB/ARTBIB%20L.pdf).

Soft-ground etching on fine wove paper, backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 25.4 x 33.5 cm; (plate) 19.6 x 27 cm; (image borderline) 15.5 x 24.2 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left) “J. Laporte del & Sculp.”; (centre) “A View near Uxbridge./ London Published April 13,1802, by John P. Thompson G^t.Newport Street, and N^o.51, Dean Street, Soho.”

Condition: a strong and well-printed (near faultless) impression with reasonably wide margins (as published?). The sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains and is laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper providing support and large margins.

I am selling this light-filled portrayal of what must have been an open rural area, when this print was made, on the outskirts of London, for AU$196 (currently US$128.78/EUR119.07/GBP101.50 at the time of posting this print) 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 remarkable pre-Impressionistic portrayal of a spreading tree, purportedly after a drawing by one of the greatest of British Landscape artists, Gainsborough, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

John Laporte’s soft-ground etching, “Wooded Country Scene with a Horse-Drawn Cart”, 1802, after Gainsborough

John Laporte (1761–1839)

“Wooded Country Scene with a Horse-Drawn Cart” (descriptive title only), 1802, soft-ground etching (possibly plate 30) reproducing a chalk(?) drawing by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788) in the collection of John Laporte (as inscribed on plate), published on 1^st May 1802 in London in the very rare and relatively small edition by John Laporte and William Frederick Wells (1764–1836) from the series of seventy-two plates, “A Collection of Prints, Illustrative of English Scenery, from the Drawings and Sketches of Thos. Gainsborough, R. A.”. Sixty of the plates from the first edition were later republished in the larger 1819 edition by H R Young (fl.1819) with the original publication details of the first edition erased.

Soft-ground etching printed on wove (Whatman) paper with full margins as published in the first edition.

Size: (sheet) 32.5 x 39.4 cm; (plate) 24.5 x 31.2 cm; (image borderline) 19 x 26.2 cm.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “T. Gainsborough R.A. del.”; (centre) “From the Original in the Collection of J. Laporte./ Published by J. Laporte & W. F. Wells. May 1.1802.”; (right) “J. Laporte sculp.”

Condition: a strong and well-printed (near faultless) impression with generously wide margins. Beyond a small tear in the lower margin, the sheet is in near pristine condition for its age with no holes, folds, abrasions, losses, stains or foxing.

I am selling this marvellous early impression from the exceptionally rare first edition of 1802 (as inscribed on plate) for AU$218 (currently US$160.05/EUR134.50/GBP120.19 at the time of 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.

If you are interested in purchasing this fine example of soft-ground etching with its imitation of the grainy lines of Gainsborough’s chalk drawing, 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

Auguste Brouet’s etching and aquatint, “The Blue Boy”, after Thomas Gainsborough

Auguste Brouet (1872–1941)

“The Blue Boy” (aka “L’enfant en bleu”), c1875 (note that this is a tentative date based on the period when Brouet was making large reproductive etchings printed in colour—which this plate was later editioned), after Thomas Gainsborough’s (1727–1788) famous painting (c1770) when it was still held in London before shifting home to the Henry E. Huntington Art Gallery, San Marino, California in 1922. This is a trial-proof signed in pencil before lettering for publication in Munich by Bischoff & Höfle (fl.1900–1909) and its later printing in colour. According to the very interesting website, “Auguste Brouet - Le Journal”, there are two editions after this trial proof: one was an edition of 175 copies before lettering that were sold at 100 Fr; the other edition was also an edition 175, but with the published lettered details that were sold at 50 Fr (see http://rep.auguste-brouet.org/index.php?pages/LEs-eaux-fortes-en-couleur-de-reproduction).

Etching and aquatint, trial proof before lettering printed in brown ink on laid paper, hand signed in pencil by the artist.

Size: (sheet) 64.2 x 44.7 cm; (plate) 60 x 41.8 cm; (image borderline) 56.3 x 39.3 cm.

Condition: strong impression (trial proof) with small margins in near faultless condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, losses, stains, foxing or significant signs of handling) apart from pencil notations by a previous collector at the lower edge of the sheet (recto).

I am selling this large and rare etching with aquatint—note that I have been unable to find this print in any of the major museums—after one of the most famous paintings by Gainsborough for $498 (currently US$356.42/EUR303.10/GBP276.13 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.

If you are interested in purchasing this stunning museum-quality, pencil signed, artist’s proof before the later edition when the plate was printed in colour, 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 another etching of Gainsborough’s painting executed by Léopold Flameng which is currently still available: https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2020/03/leopold-flamengs-etching-blue-boy-1862.html. 

This print has been sold (as has the Flameng)