Jules Léopold Boilly, “Marche de Nubiens”, 1850, after Prosper Marilhat

Jules Léopold Boilly (also known as Julien Boilly) (1796–1874)

“Marche de Nubiens” (March of Nubians), 1850

Technical Details & Condition:

Lithograph in two colours (black and a buff-coloured tone block) printed on heavy wove paper.

The lithograph is based on a painting by the French Orientalist artist Prosper Marilhat (1811–1847). Printed in Paris by Bertauts (active 1830s–1880) and published in “L’Artiste”.

The impression is strong, evenly printed, and near faultless. The sheet is in near-pristine condition, completely free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, and stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 27.2 x 35.9 cm
• Image borderline: 22.0 x 27 cm

In-Plate lettering (e):

• Above image: (centre) “L’ARTISTE”
• Below image: (left) “PEINT PAR MARILHAT.”; (centre) “IMP. BERTAUTS, PARIS. / MARCHE DE NUBIENS”; (right) “LITH. JUL. BOILLY.”

References:

• IFF 40: Jean Laren & Jean Adhémar, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800: BOCQVIN–BYON”, vol. 3, 1942 (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département des Estampes), p. 51, cat. no. 40 — Available via Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Gallica): https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5488545z/f60.image
• British Museum, museum number 1889,0608.608: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1889-0608-608

Artistic & Visual Analysis:

This marvellous lithograph perfectly exemplifies the 19th-century European fascination with the exotic, depicting three Nubian men holding spears while seated atop Dromedary camels as desert sand and dust swirl around them.

Boilly’s mastery of the medium is particularly evident in his sophisticated treatment of atmospheric perspective. By subtly adjusting both the tone and focal clarity across the three camels, he brilliantly captures a shifting depth of field. The closest camel is sharply detailed with deep, rich tones, while the camels further in the background gradually soften in focus and lighten in value, evoking the hazy, sun-drenched expanse of the desert.

Price & Shipping:

AU$228 (approximately US$160.07 / €142.94 / £119.32), including worldwide express shipping. Any applicable import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

To Purchase or Enquire:

Please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I will be delighted to answer any questions or send a PayPal invoice for a secure, straightforward transaction.

Please note: The scan contrast has been digitally enhanced to show the print’s fine details more clearly. As a result, the digital image tones may not fully reflect the subtle tonal qualities of the physical original.

Camille Corot, “Paysage d'Italie”, c. 1865–66

Camille Corot (Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot) (1796–1875)

“Paysage d'Italie” (Italian Landscape), c. 1865–66

Contextual Commentary:

This boldly inscribed landscape etching is Corot’s third and final contribution to the Société des Aquafortistes—a society of artists (active 1862–1867) founded in Paris to revive and promote etching as a prestigious fine art form.

The plate features an evolving publication history. Trial proofs of the first state (before lettering) were pulled by Félix Bracquemond. The second state was printed by Auguste Delâtre for the Société des Aquafortistes in October 1866 bearing plate number 246. This impression represents the third and final state of the plate, printed and published by Alfred Cadart (1828–1875) for later anthologies such as L’Eau-forte depuis 10 ans (1872).

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on buff-coloured chine collé on heavy wove paper with wide margins.

This impression represents a crisp, final publication variant of the third state. It features the fully realised text line showing Alfred Cadart as the printer (Imp. A. Cadart, Paris), differentiating it from earlier second-state Delâtre printings and variant third-state printings bearing the Bachelin-Deflorenne library text.

The impression is richly inked and sharply printed with no visible signs of plate wear. Aside from faint traces of uneven toning in the margin from historic mounting, the sheet is in excellent condition—completely free of tears, holes, folds, or abrasions.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 30.0 x 40.5 cm
• Platemark: 15.7 x 23.7 cm
• Chine collé: 15.5 x 23.7 cm
• Image borderline: 14.8 x 23.1 cm

In-Plate Lettering (below the image):

• Left: “Corot sculp.”
• Centre: “PAYSAGE D'ITALIE”
• Right: “Imp. A. Cadart, Paris”

References:

• Melot C7: Michel Melot, “Graphic Art of the Pre-Impressionists”, 1978 (New York, Harry N. Abrams), pp. 258–59, cat. no. C7.
• IFF 7: Jean Adhémar, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800: Cidoine–Daumier”, vol. 5, 1949 (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département des Estampes), p. 186, cat. no. 7 — Available via Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Gallica): https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5488526m/f198.image
• British Museum, museum number 1871,0812.723: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1871-0812-723
• Yale University, accession number 1974.4.5: https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/15915

Price & Shipping:

AU$1886 (approximately US$1326.86 / €1188.34 / £990.71), including worldwide express shipping. Any applicable import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

To enquire about this simply superb impression of this very beautiful and rare etching, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll be happy to send you a PayPal invoice for a straightforward payment.

Please note: The scan contrast has been digitally enhanced to show the print’s details more clearly. As a result, the image tones may not fully reflect the subtle tonal qualities of the original.

Pieter de Jode II, “Adam de Coster”, 1630–45, after Anthony van Dyck

Pieter de Jode II (also known as Petrus de Iode) (1606–1674)

“Adam de Coster” (or “Portret van Adam de Coster”), 1630–45

Contextual Commentary:

The sitter is the Flemish painter Adam de Coster (c. 1586–1643), a prominent member of the Antwerp Caravaggisti—a group of artists influenced by Caravaggio. De Coster was known as a pictor noctium, or “Painter of Nights,” for his dramatically lit nocturnal scenes. The Latin inscription beneath the portrait, “PICTOR NOCTIVM MECHLINIENSIS,” means “Painter of Nights from Mechelen,” a city in Flanders also known by its French name, Malines.

The image is based on Anthony van Dyck’s (1599–1641) grisaille painting in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch at Boughton House (inv. no. 191). The British Museum also notes a related grisaille in the Musée Bonnat, Bayonne (inv. no. 938), and a preparatory black-chalk drawing in the Städel Museum, Frankfurt (inv. no. 789). See British Museum inv. no. R,1a.85.

Technical Details & Condition:

Engraving and etching on laid paper with a grape watermark of French origin, with wide margins as published.

The print belongs to the celebrated series after Van Dyck, Icones Principum Virorum.

This impression is from the final state, state six of six. In this state, the initials of the mid-17th-century publisher Gillis Hendricx have been burnished out. Their complete removal distinguishes the later edition published by Arkstée & Merkus in Amsterdam and Leipzig around 1750.

The impression is richly inked and finely printed, with no visible signs of plate wear. Aside from a collector’s ink stamp on the verso and faint pencil notations along the lower edge of the recto, the sheet is in excellent condition, free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, and significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 36.2 x 25.2 cm
• Platemark: 23.4 x 16.8 cm
• Image borderline: 21.5 x 16.3 cm

In-Plate Lettering (below the image):

• Left: “Ant. van Dyck pinxit / Petrus de Iode sculpsit.”
• Centre: “ADAM DE COSTER. / PICTOR NOCTIVM MECHLINIENSIS.”
• Right: “Cum priuilegio”

References:

• Mauquoy-Hendricx (Van Dyck) 31: Marie Mauquoy-Hendrickx, L’iconographie d’Antoine van Dyck: Catalogue Raisonné, vol. 1 (Brussels: Royal Library Albert I, 1991), p. 127, cat. no. 31.
• New Hollstein Dutch 56: Simon Turner, The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings, and Woodcuts 1450–1700, vol. 2 (Rotterdam: Sound and Vision, 2002), p. 28, cat. no. 56.
• Rijksmuseum, object number RP-P-OB-7850: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200209470
• British Museum, museum number 1863,0509.901: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1863-0509-901

Price & Shipping:

AU$288 (approximately US$202.62 / €181.46 / £151.33), including worldwide express shipping. Any applicable import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

To enquire about this fine portrait of Adam de Coster, please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll be happy to send you a PayPal invoice for a straightforward payment.

Please note: The scan contrast has been digitally enhanced to show the print’s details more clearly. As a result, the image tones may not fully reflect the subtle tonal qualities of the original.