Maurice Poirson (1850–1882)
“Le Viatique, Plage de Normandie” (aka “Viaticum on a Beach in Normandy”), 1874, showing a dark
and stormy beach scene with a religious procession of five people headed by a
young acolyte holding aloft a Viaticum—the Extreme Unction used in the Last
Rites for anointing a dying person—followed by another young acolyte ringing a
handbell, followed by the priest sheltering under an umbrella with a
well-rugged lady and followed by two elderly ladies wearing clogs with one
supported on a cane.
This print is after the artist’s painting of the same
subject exhibited in the Salon of 1874 (cat. no. 1591; see https://archive.org/details/cataloguesofpari1874acad/page/218/mode/2up/search/Poirson+),
printed by Alfred Cadart (1828–1875) and published in Paris by Librairie
Bachelin-Deflorenne (fl.1866–1878) in “Le Musée des
Deux-Mondes” in 1875 (?) (see a description of this
publication at catawiki auctions: https://www.catawiki.com/l/6043729-bachelin-deflorenne-musee-des-deux-mondes-1875).
Etching with dot roulette and plate tone on heavy laid paper with
margins as published.
Size: (sheet) 27.4 x 39.2 cm; (soft plate impression) 23.2? x 31.2?
cm; (image borderline) 20 x 26.8 cm.
Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (lower left corner) “MPoirson/
74”.
Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “M.Poirson,pinx.
et sc./ LE MUSÉE DES DEUX-MONDES.”; (centre) “LE VIATIQUE, PLAGE DE NORMANDIE/
(Salon de 1874)”; (right) “Imp.A.Cadart,56,BartHaussmann,Paris./ Librairie
Bachelin-Deflorenne.”
Condition: richly inked faultless impression in near pristine
condition (i.e. there are no tears, losses, holes, folds, abrasions, stains or significant signs of use).
I am selling this darkly glowing etching showing a sombre procession, battling with wind and rain, on its way to perform the Last Rites—no
doubt for a mortally injured seafarer—for AU$187 (currently US$108.77/EUR64.98/GBP57.93
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 stormy beach scene executed
at the time of the Etching Revival movement when artists celebrated the
re-emergence of strong expressive linework in the manner of Rembrandt, rather
than the highly stylised linework of the reproductive engravers earlier in the
century, 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
