Daniel Charles Marie Mordant’s engraving, “La République”, after Jules Dalou

Daniel Charles Marie Mordant (1854–1914)

“La République”, c1883, published by J Rouam for the “Libraire de l’Art” and printed by Lallemènet after the plaster bas-relief sculpture, “La Fraternité des Peuples”, 1883, by Jules Dalou (aka Aimé-Jules Dalou) (1838–1902), in the Wedding Hall of the Town Hall of Paris (see https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Paris_Mairie_du_10e_60582.JPG). 

Engraving with drypoint (?) and plate tone on laid paper with 3 cm chainlines and supported on fine washi paper.

Size: (sheet) 70.4 x 52.2 cm; (plate) 48.3 x 31 cm; (image borderline) 44.2 x 27.5 cm

Lettered in the plate below the image borderline: (left) “JULES DALOU SCULP. / LIBRAIRIE DE L’ART_J. ROUAM, ÉDITEUR_PARIS.”; (centre) “LA RÉPUBLIQUE”; (right) DANIEL MORDANT AQUAF. / LALLEMÈNT & CIE IMP.”

Condition: an extremely large and near faultless impression with full margins as published. There are a few minor handling marks in the margins, but, for such a large print, this impression is in superb condition. The sheet has been laid upon a conservator’s support sheet.

I am selling this huge, stunningly beautiful and finely rendered engraving for the total cost of AU$300 including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this rare interpretative study of Dalou’s monumental sculpture celebrating the Third French Republic (1870–1940)—unless I have my facts wrong—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

Years ago I spent a great deal of lecture time in my classes explaining the importance of choosing the “best” angle of lighting to give a scene the illusion of three-dimensions. Well … the angle that Mordant has chosen to illuminate Dalou’s sculpture (vis. from the top-front-left) is perfect. Of course, this angle of lighting is only perfect for Western viewers or those that read from left-to-right. Viewers acculturated to read in any other direction (e.g. Arabic, Hebrew and ancient Orientals) may not share the same experience of solid three-dimensions and would need a very different lighting arrangement. For example, I remember showing magazine advertisements published in Israel in which the choice of lighting was the reverse of what Occidental audiences expect (i.e. the advertisements featured light streaming into the scenes from the top-front-right).