Alphonse Leroy’s stipple engraving, “Studies of the Christ Child for 'Madonna and St. Anne'”, 1870, after Leonardo

Alphonse Alexandre Leroy (1821–c.1880)

“Studies of the Christ Child for 'Madonna and St. Anne'”, 1870, after the sanguine chalk study (c.1501) by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1518) in the collection of the Galleria dell’Accademia in Venice. This engraving was published by the Chalcography du Louvre who hold the original plate and printed by Drouart (fl.1824–1861/70).

Stipple engraving printed in sanguine coloured ink on chine collé (India) on wove paper backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 31.1 x 23 cm; (plate) 28.2 x 20.1 cm; (inner image borderline) 21 x 14.9 cm.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “DESSINÉ PAS LÉONARD DE VINCI.”; (CENTRE) “Imp. de Drouart  11, rue du Fouarre”; (right) “GRAVE PAR ALPHONSE LEROY.”

The Ateliers d’Art des Musées Nationaux (The Chalcographie du Louvre) offer a description of this print:

https://ateliersartmuseesnationaux.fr/en/engraving/KM000011?guid=5e97cbb806b82;

https://www.boutiquesdemusees.fr/en/red-chalk/child-study-leonardo-da-vinci/13313.html?r=L2VuL2NhZGVhdXgvNjgtZW5ncmF2aW5ncy8zLw%253D%253D#.

Condition: an excellent impression trimmed with a small margin around the platemark and laid upon a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper to stabilise nicks and tears to the margin.

I am selling this exquisite stipple engraving designed to mimic the coarse chalk lines of Leonardo’s original drawing—note that the engraver has been creatively selective in his choice of studies copied from Leonardo’s page (e.g. the detail of the leg on the lower left was not in the original drawing, the detail of the Virgin’s torso on the right has been omitted and the compositionally important “blank” area below the studies has been removed)—for AU$255 in total (currently US$160.60/EUR147.32/GBP128.42 at the time of posting 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 engraved translation of Leonardo’s chalk studies for the oil painting, “Madonna and Saint Anne”, c.1503, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.