Charles-François Daubigny’s etching, “Les Vendanges”, 1865

Charles-François Daubigny (aka Charles Daubigny) (1817–1878)

“Les Vendanges” (as titled on plate) (aka “The Harvest”; “Souvenir of the Morvan”; “The Vintage”), 1865, published as plate 161 for the Société des Aquafortistes’s album, described in Michel Melots’ (1981), “Graphic Art of the Pre-Impressionists” as the ”ninth instalment, May, 1885, of the third year of the Société” (p. 281). This impression was printed from the original plate in 1923 for the art revue, “Byblis”, by the Chalcographie du Louvre and authenticated with the Chalcographie’s dry stamp.

Etching and drypoint on heavy cream-coloured wove paper, blind stamped (lower margin at centre) by the Chalcographie du Louvre and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 43 x 62 cm; (plate) 24 x 37 cm; (image borderline) 20 x 34 cm.

Numbered on plate above the image borderline: (right corner) “161”.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “Daubigny sculp."; (centre) “LES VENDANGES.”

State v (of v) with the publisher’s name (Cadart & Luquet) of state iv erased.

Melot 117 (Michel Melot 1981, "Graphic Art of the Pre-Impressionists”, New York, Harry N. Abrams, p. 281, cat, D117 [5]).; Henriet 107; Delteil 117.

Melot (1981) advises that this print relates to a painting by Daubigny exhibited in the Salon of 1863 (p. 281; see https://www.musee-orsay.fr/fr/collections/oeuvres-commentees/peinture.html?no_cache=1&zoom=1&tx_damzoom_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=116521). Interestingly, Daubigny must have executed another painting more closely based on the composition of this etching a year after completing the etching as Koller Auctions feature the oil painting, “Vendanges en Bourgogne”, 1866, as lot 3211 in the auction of March 2013:

https://www.kollerauktionen.ch/en/309980-0002-----1164-DAUBIGNY_-CHARLES-FRAN_OIS-_1-1164_41394.html

1stdibs offer a description of this print (from an earlier state):

https://www.1stdibs.co.uk/art/prints-works-on-paper/landscape-prints-works-on-paper/charles-francois-daubigny-les-vendanges-ld-117-iii-van-original-etching-charles-francois-daubigny/id-a_2098613/

Condition: richly-inked and well-printed impression with generous margins, laid onto a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. There is inconsistency in the colour of the paper with numerous pale patches that are visible in the margins, otherwise the sheet is in good condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or foxing).

I am selling this large etching by one of the primary artists of the Barbizon School, showing resting oxen beside a cart laden with grape vats with vineyard workers picking grapes in the distance and attending the crushing of the grapes on the cart, for the total cost of AU$236 (currently US$162.46/EUR145.92/GBP123.94 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this exemplary etching of Daubigny's commitment to capturing the traditions of rural life—here the different stages of harvesting grapes—before the advent of changes brought by the industrial age, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.