Charles Jacque's etching, “Intérieur de Ferme”, 1845

Charles Jacque (aka Charles Émile Jacque; Charles Jaque) (1813–1894)

“Intérieur de Ferme” (Farmhouse interior), 1845, printed by Auguste Delâtre (aka Auguste Marie Delâtre) (1822–1907), published in Paris by Marchant (aka Alliance des Arts) (fl.c.1830–80).

Etching printed in brown-black ink on cream chine collé (China) on wove paper backed with a heavy archival support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 23.7 x 33.3 cm; (plate) 19 x 26.3 cm; (chine collé) 17.9 x 25.9 cm; (image borderline) 16.3 x 24.6 cm.

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline: (upper right corner) “CH. Jacque 1845. Jr”.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “(Alliance des Arts) Marchant, [ru] de Rivoli, 140. Paris.”; (right) “Imp Delâtre, r. St Jacques, 265”.

State ii (of ii) with the erased hen pecking at the feet of the farm girl—note the slightly lighter patch in the rendering of the ground where the hen was erased—and the cow replaced by two children in the shadows. (Note that the British Museum’s impression of this print [BM 1889,0608.100] is a second state impression and it is not from the first state as given in the bibliographical details.)

IFF 139 (Inventaire du Fonds Français: Bibliothèque Nationale, Départment des Estampes. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, 1930-); Guiffrey 1866 74.II (J-J Guiffrey 1866, “L'Oeuvre de Charles Jacque: catalogue de ses eaux-fortes et pointes seches”, Paris, p. 57, cat. no. 74).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Farmyard with peasant woman carrying bucket at left, three pigs, with three figures seen sitting in shadows beneath overhang in centre.”

(https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1429774&partId=1&searchText=Charles+JACQUE+1845&page=1)

Guiffrey (1866) offers the following description of this print:

(transl.) “74. FARM INTERIOR. In an inner courtyard sleep two pigs near a trough and, on the right, a little dog in its niche. Above the little dog, a window in the shade, then a broom, a bad ladder & a tub. Under a ruined dovecote opens a wide and low passage, leading on the way. On the other side of the road, we see a palisade behind which appears a house in the middle of bunches of trees. Under the passageway, a window opens, near which a girl carries a bucket. At her feet, a dish; in front of her a large tub; then from the house whose upper door is open; a pig is in front. To the left of the door, a bench and a skillet with a lid; above, a pickaxe hangs from a nail; in the upper corner, a downspout. Signed: Ch. Jacque. 1845. Jr.” (p. 57).

Condition: a strong, well-printed impression with minor signs of handling in the margins otherwise in good condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, abrasions or significant stains) laid upon an archival support sheet.

I am selling this luminous etching by one of the most famous artists of the Barbizon School—a group of artists working in the vicinity of the village of Barbizon (France) who sought to work directly from observation in the field capturing everyday activities—for a total cost of AU$242 (currently US$165.63/EUR149.12/GBP125.89 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this beautiful etching exemplifying the 19^th century Romantic leaning of the Barbizon artists to show rural life before the advent of change 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.

This print has been sold