Bernard Picart, “The House of Sleep”, 1733

Bernard Picart (1673–1733)

“The House of Sleep” (aka “Le Palais du Sommeil”), 1733, Plate 60 (LX)—the final plate in the series of sixty plates—from the series, “Le Temple des Muses” (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), first published in Amsterdam in 1733 by Zacharie Chatelain (fl.1700–50), facing page 151.

Archive.org offers an online view of this print in its context in the publication, “Le Temple des Muses”: https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012263162/page/n281/mode/2up

Etching and engraving printed from two plates on laid paper with full margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 45.4 x 28.8 cm; (outer plate) 36 x 25.7 cm; (outer image borderline) 34.9 x 25 cm

Lettered in plate below the inner image borderline: (left) “B. Picart sculp. dir..”; (centre with title in four languages [French, English, German and Dutch]) “LE PALAIS DU SOMMEIL./ The House of Sleep.// …./ …”.

LeBlanc 85–146 (J.Ch. Brunet & Ch. Leblanc 1854[–1889], “Manuel de l'amateur d'estampes, contenant un dictionnaire des graveurs de toutes les nations: ouvrage destiné à faire suite au Manuel du libraire”, vol. 3, Paris, p. 192, cat. nos. 85–146).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print: (Transl.) “The House of Sleep. On top of the building Diana and Night, in her arms her children Sleep (Hypnos) and Death (Thanatos). In the middle in the niche Sleep, with his attribute poppy in his hand. The house is teeming with Oneiroi (beings responsible for human dreams). In the margin the title in French, English, German and Dutch. The representation is decorated with an ornamental border.” (https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200370068).

Condition: a strong and well-printed (faultless) impression in a near pristine condition for its size and considerable age.

I am selling this curiously wonderful symbolic representation of sleep as a house separating true from false dreams at the entrance to the Underworld—"a deep Cavern, where the Sun’s rays never penetrate”—for AU$336 (equivalent to approximately US$208.78, EUR 200.91, or GBP 165.94 at the time of listing) and includes Express Mail Service (EMS) postage and handling to any worldwide destination. Please note that any import duties or taxes levied by the destination country are the responsibility of the buyer and are not included in the purchase price. Payment is requested in Australian dollars (AU$336).

If you are interested in purchasing this museum quality engraving printed from two plates—an outer “frame” plate and the inner “image” plate—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