Claude Lorrain's etching, “Time, Apollo and the Seasons”, 1662

Claude Lorrain (aka Claude Gellée; Claude; Le Lorrain; Claudio di Lorena) (1600–1682)

“Time, Apollo and the Seasons” (aka “Le Temps, Apollon et les Saisons”; “Apollo and the Seasons Dancing to the Music of a Harp Played by Time”), 1662, from the 1816 edition of “200 Etchings” printed from the original plate by McCreery.

Etching on wove paper trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline (as published by McCreery) and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 19.6 x 25.9 cm; (image borderline) 18.5 x 25.3 cm.

Inscribed on plate below the image borderline in two lines of Italian: “Apollo in atto di obedire al tempo. la Primauera a cominciare il ballo. Lestate non manca del suo calore. Lautunno consuo licuore./ seguita. L inuerno tiene la suo staggione. Claudio Gilleé inuen. Fec. Roma 1662 con licenza de super.”

State vii (of vii)

Blum 1923 39 (André Blum 1923, “Les eaux-fortes de Claude Gellée dit Le Lorrain”, Paris, pp. 27–28, cat. 39); Mannocci 43 (Lino Mannocci 1988, “The etchings of Claude Lorrain”, London, Yale U.P., pp. 267–73, cat. 43, seventh state); Robert-Dumesnil 20 (APF Robert-Dumesnil 1835–71, “Le Peintre-Graveur français, ou Catalogue Raisonné des Estampes Gravées par les Peintres et les Dessinateurs de l'École Française: Ouvrage Faisant Suite au Peintre-Graveur de Bartsch”, Paris, vol. 1, p. 24, cat. 20); IFF 17th section 39 (Bibliothèque Nationale, Départment des Estampes 1939–, “Inventaire du Fonds Français: Graveurs du XVIIe siècle”, Paris,Bibliothèque Nationale de France, vol. 4, p. 555, cat. 39).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Time, Apollo and the Seasons; in a landscape with antique buildings in ruins, Time, personified by an old winged man, is playing the harp while Apollo is dancing with four women representing the Seasons.”

(https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1347536&partId=1&searchText=Apollo+and+the+Seasons+&people=129122&page=1).

See also the description of this print at the Rijksmuseum

(http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.collect.404909)

and the Detroit Institute of Arts:

(https://www.dia.org/art/collection/object/apollo-and-seasons-dancing-music-harp-played-time-45730).

Condition: excellent well-printed impression trimmed close to the platemark (as published by McCreery) and laid onto a support sheet of millennium quality washi paper. The sheet has a hole in the foliage at left (not easily seen unless the sheet is held to the light), otherwise the sheet is in very good condition for its considerable age (i.e. there are no tears, folds, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of use).

I am selling this original etching executed by the one of the most famous of the old masters, for a total cost of AU$412 (currently US$282.97/EUR253.98/GBP213.09 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this important early landscape etching (in terms epitomising the 17^th century vision of landscape staffed with allegorical figures and classical ruins), please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.