Adolphe Martial Potémont, “Soldiers, a Deserter and Ruins”, 1870/1

Adolphe Martial (aka Adolphe Martial Potémont;; Adolphe Théodore Jules Martial Potémont) (1828–1883)

“Soldiers, a Deserter and Ruins” (“Soldaten, ein Deserteur und Ruinen”), 1870/1, plate 3 from the series of 13 plates (including the title plate [see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1982-U-1254]), “Paris During the Siege” (“Paris Pendant le Siège”), published in 1871 in Paris by Cadart & Luce (fl.1867–1871) in “Paris pendant le siège, Notes et eaux fortes”, in 1871.

Etching with pale plate tone on fine laid paper with wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 47.7 x 30.3 cm; (platemark) 23.8 x 16 cm; (image borderline) 23 x 15.3 cm.

Numbered and inscribed in plate: (upper right corner) “3”; (upper left) “Le siege de Paris”; (upper right) “Notes et eaux-fortes – A. Martial”; (centre) “Nouvelles du 19 Septembre [… dated entries of text from 19^th September when General Ducrot with four divisions tries to stop the Prussian troops to 25^th September when the governor of Paris declares that it is necessary to suppress any manifestation that everyone is in combat or ready to fight] - PARIS PENDANT LE SIÈGE –“.

State i (of i)

Beraldi 11 (Henri Béraldi 1891, “Les Graveurs du XIXe Siècle: Guide de l'Amateur d'Estampes Modernes: PILLEMENT– SAINT-ÈVRE”, vol. XI, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, p. 35, cat. no. 11 [“Paris Pendant le Siège”]).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Plate 3, with etched text giving an account of the siege of Paris from 19 to 24 September 1870, and in the upper part and on left and right some sketches representing soldiers, one of whom, a deserter, seen from behind, with the label 'lâche' ('coward') [stuck] to his back; at the bottom a soldier standing in a street, contemplating the ruins of a house destroyed during the war. 1870/71” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1873-0510-3200),

Etching, printed on thin paper See also the description of this print offered by Kunsthalle Bremen: https://onlinekatalog.kunsthalle-bremen.de/DE-MUS-027614/object/92116.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression with full and generously wide margins as published. The sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains.

I am selling this creatively inventive etching formatted as a trompe l'oeil layering of hand-inscribed diary pages with fragmented images relating to the written notes, for AU$227 in total (currently/approximately US$152.09/ EUR137.63/ GBP116.05 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. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU$227) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this amazing etching documenting in a unique way an historically important episode in French history, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.