Alphonse Legros, “Peasant Women in the Neighbourhood of Boulogne,” 1873

Alphonse Legros (1837–1911)
“Peasant Women in the Neighbourhood of Boulogne” (or “Paysannes des environs de Boulogne”), 1873

Technical Details & Condition:
Etching and drypoint with plate tone on wove paper, with wide margins. This print was published by Seeley & Co., London, in the art periodical edited by Philip Gilbert Hamerton, “The Portfolio,” in August 1873. This impression is from the published state: Bliss (1923) proposes state v (of v), and Malassis & Thibaudeau (1878) proposes state iii (of iii). The impression is richly inked and nearly faultlessly printed. The sheet is in pristine condition—free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, or handling marks.

Dimensions:
• Sheet: 38.1 x 28 cm
• Platemark: 22.8 x 15 cm
• Image borderline: 22.6 x 14.7 cm

Plate Lettering:
• Signed in the plate at the lower right corner: “A. Legros”

References:
• Bliss 80 (Frank E. Bliss, “A Catalogue of the Etchings, Drypoints and Lithographs by Professor Alphonse Legros (1837–1911) in the Collection of Frank E. Bliss,” 1923, London, p. 19, cat. no. 80)
• Malassis & Thibaudeau 80 (A. P.-Malassis & A.-W. Thibaudeau, “Oeuvre Gravé et Lithographie de M. Alphonse Legros,” 1878, Paris, J. Baur, pp. 51–52, cat. no. 80)
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1878-0511-78
• Cleveland Museum of Art: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1945.275
(Note: The catalogue entry for this print is listed as “Bliss 94,” which is incorrect and should be Bliss 80. The confusion likely arises from the similar title, even if the composition differs; see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1877-1013-2959.)
• The Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa Tongarewa) offers additional insights:
“Paysannes des Environs de Boulogne (Peasant women from near Boulogne) is an 1873 etching depicting three young peasant women seated together, their heads bowed and hands folded in contemplative prayer. At the feet of one is a small sack tied with string. The women sit in individual rustic chairs rather than pews, suggesting informal prayers in the home rather than a congregation. Their local dress, including distinctive bonnets and capes, signals their rural status, distant from the industrial modernity of the urban centre. The use of light line conveys the simplicity of the setting and the piety of the women.”
https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/44153

Price & Shipping:
AU$235 (approximately US$165.94 / €140.12 / £121.99), including worldwide express shipping.
Please note: Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you’re interested in this superb impression of a masterwork of etching—particularly noting the subtle tonal contrasts, such as the foreground figure’s proximity to the viewer compared to the distant seated figure, and the transition from contour marks to cross-hatching in the background—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth and safe transaction.

This print has been sold 

Johann Christian Kröner, “Wild Deer”, 1878

Johann Christian Kröner (or Christian Kroener) (1838–1911)
“Wild Deer,” 1878

Technical Details & Condition:
Etching (with aquatint?) printed in warm-black ink on heavy cream wove paper with wide margins. The impression is richly inked and nearly faultlessly printed. The sheet is in pristine condition—free of tears, holes, folds, or stains.

Dimensions:
• Sheet: 43.5 x 28 cm
• Platemark: 24.6 x 18.9 cm
• Image borderline: 21.5 x 15.5 cm

Plate Lettering:
• Signed and dated in the plate at the lower left corner, with some letters and numbers not fully legible: “[‘Ch’ in ligature] Kroner [1878]”

Reference:
• University Museums - Colgate University: https://emuseum.colgate.edu/objects/9063

Price & Shipping:
AU$237 (approximately US$167.94 / €141.51 / £123.11), including worldwide express shipping.
Please note: Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in this rare etching by an established master of the Stimmungslandschaft (forest mood)—noting that Kröner, alongside Richard Friese, is a leading exponent of Jagdmalerei (hunting scenes) that appealed to the aesthetic and cultural sensibilities of the hunting elite in fin de siècle Germany—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth and safe transaction.

Antoninus Florentinus, “Summa Sacrae Theologiae”, c.1478 (Leaf 3)

Rubricated leaf from Antoninus Florentinus’ “Summa Sacrae Theologiae,” c.1478 (Leaf 3)

Technical Details & Condition:
An extraordinarily rare, large, and beautifully rubricated incunable leaf, published between 1477 and 1479 in Nuremberg by the renowned printer and godfather of Albrecht Dürer, Anton Koberger (c.1440/45–1513). This exceptional leaf originates from the first edition of Antoninus Florentinus’ (1389–1459) seminal work, “Summa Sacrae Theologiae”—a cornerstone of moral theology.

• Letterpress text printed recto and verso on laid paper of imperial folio size, complete with full margins, as originally issued
• Unfaded, richly rubricated capitals, attributed to an unidentified Nuremberg artist
• The leaf is in excellent condition for its age and size—free of tears, folds, abrasions, or significant stains. Light age-toning is visible along the edges, with a vertical “wormhole” on the binding edge

Dimensions:
• Sheet: 48.5 x 33 cm

References:
• Hain-Cop. 1242 (Walter Arthur Copinger, “Supplement to Hain's Repertorium bibliographicum, or, Collections toward a new edition of that work: in two parts,” London, H. Sotheran and Co., p. 3, cat. no. 1242)— see https://archive.org/details/b29004627_0001/page/32/mode/1up
• GW 2186 (“Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke,” Stuttgart, Anton Hiersemann, cat. no. 02186)— see https://www.gesamtkatalogderwiegendrucke.de/docs/GW02186.htm
• Archive.org hosts six pages from the publication from which this leaf originates: https://archive.org/details/images_KG02_46
• Christie’s Auctions provides a detailed description of the publication: https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/books-manuscripts-photographs-middle-ages-moon/antoninus-florentinus-1389-1459-19/116504

Price & Shipping:
AU$386 (approximately US$273.20 / €230.14 / £200.08), including worldwide express shipping.
Please note that import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you’re interested in this rare glimpse into 15th-century Nuremberg scholarly life, don’t hesitate to contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’m happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a smooth and safe transaction.

Charles Jacque, “The Three Willows,” 1845

Charles Jacque (also known as Charles Émile Jacque) (1813–1894)
“The Three Willows” (“Les Trois Saules” [IFF title]), 1845

Technical Details & Condition:
Etching and engraving with plate tone on wove paper with wide margins. This is possibly an impression from the third or even a later state (IFF indicates there are six states), with the plate number (28) and the addresses of Marchant and Delâtre erased from the previous state. I believe there is still a faint trace of the “28” visible at the lower left corner below the image borderline. The impression is strong, well-printed, and in near pristine condition—free from tears, holes, folds, stains, or signs of handling.

Dimensions:
• Sheet: 24.3 x 32 cm
• Platemark: 8.8 x 15.1 cm
• Image borderline: 7.5 x 13.4 cm

References:
• Guiffrey 65 (J.-J. Guiffrey, “L’Oeuvre de Ch. Jacque: Catalogue de ses Eaux-Fortes et Pointes Sèches,” 1868, Paris, Lemaire, pp. 53–54, cat. no. 65)
• Beraldi 65 (Henri Beraldi, “Les Graveurs du Dix-Neuvième Siècle: GUÉRIN–LACOSTE,” vol. VIII, 1889, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, p. 79, cat. no. 65)
• IFF 133 (Jean Adhémar & Jacques Lethève, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800: HUMBLOT–JYG,” vol. 11, 1960, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, p. 106, cat. no. 133)
• British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1889-0608-82
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/829374

Plate Lettering:
• Upper left: “Ch. JACque 1845.”

Price & Shipping:
AU$257 (approximately US$181.90 / €153.23 / £133.19), including worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this seemingly simple yet masterfully executed etching, created with the utmost skill and confidence by one of the luminaries of the Barbizon School, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.