Ferdinand
Gaillard (aka Claude Ferdinand Gaillard) (1834–1887)
“L'homme à l'oeillet” (The Man with the Carnation) (aka “Portrait
of a Man with Carnation and the Order of Saint Anthony”; “Man with a Pink
Carnation”; “Man with Pinks”; “Porträt eines Mannes von Garofano”), 1869, after
the oil on oak painting, “Portrait of Jean de Bauière, L'homme
à l'oeillet” (collection of the Staatlisches Museum in Berlin), c.1436, by Jan van Eyck (c.1390–1441), originally
published in “La Gazette des Beaux-Arts” (Paris) in 1869. This impression was published
by Albert Quantin (1850–1930) in c.1878 and printed by Charles
Chardon aîné (fl.c.1850–1878).
Regarding Van
Eyck’s painting, in “The Painted Carnation: A Pictorial
Flower (Second Part)” (https://www.journaldespeintres.com/loeillet-peint-une-fleur-picturale-derniere-partie/),
Tony Goupil (2012) proposes (in translation) that the “portrait would have been
done in fact by an epigone of Van Eyck” and that the subject “could possibly be
Jean of Bavaria, bishop of Liège, nicknamed Jean without mercy … and wears a
silver cross of the order of Saint Anthony.” Goupil explains that the red and
white carnations held by the subject are emblems of “love and constancy.” From my
understanding of these dual emblems (love and constancy), there is a link
between the notion of memento mori (i.e. the inevitability of death) in the fading
life of flowers and the ongoing painful element of what Goupil describes as “affliction,
the regret to see them wither.”
Engraving on chine
collé on wove paper.
Size: (sheet)
25.6 x 21.9 cm; (plate) 19.7 x 15.1 cm; (chine collé) 18.7 x 13.5 cm; (image borderline)
15 x 11.6 cm.
Lettered on
plate above the image borderline: (centre) “EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE DE 1878”.
Lettered on
plate below the image borderline: (left) “VAN EYCK PINX/ Gazette des Beaux-Arts”;
(centre) “L'HOMME A L'ŒILLET./ (GALERIE DE MR SUERMONDT.)/ A. QUANTIN EDITEUR”;
(right) “GAILLARD SCULP./ Imp.Ch.Chardon ainé”.
State vi (of
vi) with the lettered publication details (see an impression of state v at the
National Gallery of Art: https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.32757.html.
IFF 38 (Bibliothèque
Nationale, Départment des Estampes 1939–, “Inventaire du Fonds Français:
Graveurs du XVIIe siècle”, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France); Beraldi
1885–92 25.VI/VI (Henri Beraldi 1885–1892, “Les graveurs du XIXe siecle, guide
de l'amateur d'estampes modernes”, 12 vols., Paris, Librairie L. Conquet).
The British
Museum offers a description of this print in its fourth state:
“Portrait of a
man seen half-length, turned to left, holding a carnation in his right hand;
after Van Eyck”
See also the brief
description of this print at the Art Institute Chicago:
Condition: well-printed
near faultless impression in almost pristine condition for its age (i.e. there
are no tears, folds, holes, losses, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of
handling).
I am selling this
masterpiece of 19th century engraving—possibly the most sensitively
executed and technically accomplished engraving of the late 1800s—for the total
cost of AU$288 (currently US$196.72/EUR178.29/GBP150.48 at the time of posting
this print) 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 incredibly fine engraving where a microscope is needed to
see the linework, 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
