Gallery of prints for sale

Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Charles Meryon ,“Portrait of Jean Besly”, 1861, after Jaspar Isaac

Charles Meryon (aka Charles Méryon) (1821–1868)

“Portrait of Jean Besly”, 1861, after the design (possibly an engraving?) by the printmaker, printer and publisher, Jaspar Isaac (fl.1585–1654) showing the historian, Jean Besly (1612-1647), from the Province of Poitou, at the age of 70 in 1642, signed in the plate with Charles Meryon’s monogram in the upper-left corner and with the date (1861) inscribed in the margin at lower centre, printed in Paris by Abraham Beillet (aka Beillet & Forestier) (fl.1850–1876) as an illustration to the first volume (of two) of Benjamin Fillon and Octave de Rochebrune’s “Poitou et Vendée, études historiques et artistiques”, published in 1861.

Etching with pale surface tone, printed on oriental paper with wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 30.8 x 23.2 cm; (platemark is too soft for accurate measurement [14.7 x 12 cm]); (image borderline) 11 x 8.9 cm.

Inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (upper left corner) [Charles Meryon’s monogram]; (square at upper right) “ÆT 70/ ANN 1642/ [coat-of-arms]”.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left) “d'après I. Isac”; (centre) “IEAN BESLY/ 1861”; (right) “Imp. A. Beillet Q. de la Tournelle, 35.”

State iv (of iv) with the addition of the artist’s monogram.

Delteil & Wright 82 (Loys Delteil & Harold JL Wright 1989, “Catalogue Raisonné of the Etchings of Charles Meryon”, San Francisco, Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, n.p., cat. no. 82 [4th state]).

See also the descriptions of this print offered by The British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1876-0510-392; https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/377942.

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

I am selling this seemingly raw etching by one the acknowledged masters of 19th century French printmaking, Charles Meryon (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Meryon), after the design by the very fine engraver, Jaspar Isaacs (see for example, https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2020/05/jaspar-isaacs-engraving-descent-from.html), showing the historian Jean Besly in his 70th year in 1642, for AU $291 in total (currently US $182.45/ EUR 175.28/ GBP 148.15 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 $291) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in this intriguing portrait by Meryon, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.











No comments:

Post a Comment

Please let me know your thoughts, advice about inaccuracies (including typos) and additional information that you would like to add to any post.