Claude Lorrain’s etchings of brigands

Claude Lorrain (aka Claude Gellée, Claude; Claude Le Lorrain; Claudio di Lorena) (1600–82)

(Upper image) “Etude d’une scène de brigands” [Study for a scene with brigands], 1633 (?)

Etching on wove paper (trimmed at the time of publication by McCreery in his 1816 edition of “200 Etchings” and printed from the original plate); (sheet) 2.8 x 6.7 cm

The British Museum has an impression of the full plate from which this impression has been trimmed, see: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1346423&partId=1&searchText=claude+lorrain+brigands&page=1

Mannocci 10; Blum 41; Robert-Dumesnil 39; Knab 113; Duplessis 41; Russell 16

(Lower image) “Scène de brigands” [Landscape with Brigands], 1633

Etching on wove paper published by McCreery in his 1816 edition of “200 Etchings” and printed from the original plate); (sheet) 13.7 x 20 cm; (plate) 13.1 x 19.8 cm

Signed and dated on plate in the right margin (very indistinctly but according to the BM): 'CLAUD I.V. ROMAE 1633', and in the lower margin to the right: 'Claudius in sup. P'.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Landscape with two brigands; at the edge of a wood, two brigands attacking a man near a palm tree, while two others are taking his wife away, to the left.” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1346417&partId=1&searchText=claude+lorrain+brigands&page=1)

Mannocci 11; Blum 7; Robert-Dumesnil 12; Knab 117; Duplessis 12; Russell 17

Condition: both etchings are of exceptional rarity and in very good condition, but trimmed as published by McCreedy (1816).

I am selling this pair of original etchings executed by the one of the most famous of the early landscape artists, Claude Lorrain, for a total cost of AU$533 (currently US$406.09/EUR365.16/GBP309.46 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this pair of original etchings by one of the major old masters, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

These prints have been sold

This rare pair of etchings were pulled from Claude Lorrain’s original plates in 1816 by McCreedy who published them in his now famous “200 Etchings” which included impressions by Rembrandt, Ruysdael, Dujardin and Della Bella (amongst others) which were also taken from the original plates. Sadly, I understand that all the plates were destroyed and so this was the final edition.

The two brigands attacking a traveller featured in upper impression is clearly a study/pensiero for the formally “finished” lower etching. As Russell in her catalogue for the 1983 exhibition of Lorrain’s work at the National Gallery of Art (Washington) points out, this subject of daylight robbery of travellers was popular in the late 16th and 17^th centuries. Interesting, however, it was not a subject that Claude explored often and there seems to be only two paintings of the subject—sadly, one is now lost and the other is in a private collection. This pair of prints may have been made in preparation for one or both paintings.