Leonhard Beck, “Saint Odile in Prayer”, 1510

Leonhard Beck (1475/80–1542)

“Saint Odile in Prayer”, 1510

Background and Production Insights:

The portrayed figure is Saint Odile—the patron saint of eye afflictions whose name translates to “child of light.” Born blind but miraculously gaining her sight during her baptism, she is depicted here in deep devotion. Jesus appears behind the altar facing her, bearing his crown of thorns. In the background, a mystical scene unfolds as an angel answers the saint's prayers by raising her father, the late 7th-century Duke of Alsace, into heaven.

The heraldic crest at the upper centre displays the historic coat of arms of the Duchy of Alsace (a bend cotised flory), directly referencing Saint Odile’s noble lineage as the daughter of Duke Etichon.

This original woodcut is plate 78 from the celebrated series of 119 imperial woodcut plates (noting variant cataloguing of 123 plates by the Museum of Fine Arts Budapest) titled “Images De Saints Et Saintes Issus De La Famille De L'Empereur Maximilien I.” While the overarching series project was driven by Hans Burgkmair the Elder (1473–1531), the majority of the compositions—including this one—were designed by Leonhard Beck. The block itself was cut by the skilled imperial workshop artisans of the era, including Nicolas Seemann, Hans Frank, Corneille Liefrink, Aléxis Lindt, Josse de Neghker, Wolfgang Resch, and the Taberith brothers. It was conceived to illustrate the ancestral lineage and holy connections of Emperor Maximilian I.

This superb impression originates from the landmark 1799 edition published in Vienna by Franz Xaver Stöckl and the printing house of the Widow Alberti (Anna Alberti, active 1794–1802, continuing the legacy of printer and bookseller Ignaz Alberti). It was pulled directly from the original block carved in 1510 under the expert editorial supervision of Adam von Bartsch.

Technical Details & Condition:

Woodcut on fine laid paper with full margins as issued.

This is a richly inked, exceptionally crisp, and evenly printed impression of near-faultless quality. The sheet features generously wide, clean margins. Aside from minor, light age-toning concentrated along the outermost edges of the sheet, it remains in excellent overall condition—entirely free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, or stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 42 x 30 cm
• Image borderline: 23.9 x 21.8 cm

Numbered above the image borderline:

• Right: “78”

References:

• Royal Academy: Description of the series in which this print features — https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/book/images-de-saints-et-saintes-issus-de-la-famille-de-lempereur-maximilien-i
• Guido Messling, “Beck or the Petrarch Master” in “Print Quarterly” , XXI, 2004, 2, pp. 146–154

Price & Shipping:

AU$302 (approximately US$214.90 / €187.41 / £160.75, subject to daily exchange rates). Price includes worldwide express shipping. Please note that destination import duties and local taxes remain the sole responsibility of the buyer.

If you are interested in purchasing this large and startlingly fine woodcut, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless transaction. 

This print has been sold

Jean Baptiste Lambert, “Portrait of Girodet-Trioson”, 1825

Jean Baptiste Lambert (active 1825)

“Portrait of Girodet-Trioson”, 1825

Art-Historical Background:

This visually arresting portrait is an original lithograph reproducing the final self-portrait executed by Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson (1767–1824). Drawn in 1824 just months before his death, the image depicts the celebrated French Neoclassical painter in an intensely brooding, introspective pose.

Girodet portrays himself directly confronting the viewer while clutching a dual-ended brass drawing tool known as a porte-crayon (or charcoal holder), signifying his lifelong devotion to the draughtsman's craft. The original preparatory drawing upon which Lambert based this 1825 lithograph is conserved in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans.

Technical Details & Condition:

Lithograph printed in the crayon-manner in black on buff-coloured chine collé on heavy wove paper. This visually arresting original lithograph by Lambert was printed by Mlle Formentin (active circa 1824–1845) and published in Paris by Chaillou-Potrelle (active 1815–1837

The impression is strong and evenly inked, showing crisp detail. Aside from light foxing marks isolated to the upper left margin area, the sheet remains in very good condition with no tears, holes, folds, or surface abrasions.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 36.2 x 29.1 cm
• Chine Collé: 26.2 x 21 cm
• Image borderline: 24.8 x 19.9 cm

In-Plate Lettering (Below the image borderline):

• Left: “Girodet-Trioson del^t. / A Paris, cher Chaillou-Potrelle s^t. honoré, N^o. 140.”
• Centre: FAC-SIMILE du PORTRAIT de GIRODET-TRIOSON, / dessiné par lui-mȇme en 1824 et tel qu’il la laissé à sa mort.”
• Right: “J.B. Lambert lithograp^e. 1825. / Imp. Litho de Mlle. Formentin.”

References:

• IFF 1 (Jacques Lethève & Françoise Gardey, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800: KA–LAURENCE”, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département des Estampes, vol. 12, 1963, p. 329, cat. no. 1) — https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5488490f/f341.item
• British Museum: Museum number 1873,1213.241— https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1873-1213-241

Price & Shipping:

AU$302 (approximately US$215.35 / €187.59 / £160.93, subject to daily exchange rates). Price includes worldwide express shipping. Please note that destination import duties and local taxes remain the sole responsibility of the buyer.

If you’re interested in acquiring this superb lithograph after an intensely observed self-portrait drawing by a star pupil of Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825)—the central artist of the French Neoclassical movement—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless transaction.

Auguste Lançon, “Couching Dromedary”, 1866

Auguste-André Lançon (signed in the plate “André Lançon”—the name he used prior to 1872) (1836–1885)

“Couching Dromedary” (Dromadaire couché), 1866

Historical Context & The Van Gogh Connection:

This rare early print belongs to the Realist tradition of the 19th-century French Etching Revival. Auguste Lançon’s animal studies were highly influential and deeply respected by his contemporaries—most notably by Vincent van Gogh.

Van Gogh was a passionate collector of Lançon’s prints. In his personal letters to his brother Theo, Vincent frequently lauded Lançon’s genius for capturing the raw, unidealised character of animals, noting that Lançon’s draftsmanship possessed a rare honesty drawn straight from life.

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with plate tone on wove paper, with full margins as issued. This superb study depicts a camel with tents and the Great Sphinx in the background, from the rare early series “Animal Studies Drawn from Life” (Études d'animaux dessinées d'après nature). 

The etching was printed by Auguste Delâtre (1822–1907) and published in Paris by R. Schultz (active 1866–1872). 

The impression is strong and evenly inked, with crisp detail and no signs of wear to the printing plate. Aside from foxing marks confined to the upper right margin, the sheet remains in very good condition, with no tears, holes, folds, or abrasions.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 24.9 x 34.9 cm
• Platemark: 10.7 x 17.7 cm
• Image borderline: 10 x 17 cm

In-Plate lettering:

• Lower left: “1866 André Lançon”

References:

• Bibliothèque Nationale de France: Jacques Lethève & Françoise Gardey 1963, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800: KA–LAURENCE”, Paris, Département des Estampes, vol. 12, pp. 380–85, unrecorded/not described — https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5488490f/f392.item
• British Museum: Museum number 1872,1012.1465 — https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1872-1012-1465
• PROANTIC Marketplace: Reference number 828867— https://www.proantic.com/en/828867-etching-by-lancon-dromedary.html

Price & Shipping:

AU$212 (approximately US$150.98 / €131.39 / £112.73, subject to daily exchange rates). Price includes worldwide express shipping. Please note that destination import duties and local taxes remain the sole responsibility of the buyer.

If you’re interested in acquiring this curiously wonderful study of a camel settled squarely on its pads, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless transaction.