Pierre-Victor Galland’s lithograph, “Gros Gromier du Cantal”, 1863–73

Pierre-Victor Galland (1822–1892).

“Gros Gromier du Cantal”, 1863–73, plate 12 to “Pomologie de la France: ou Histoire et description de tous les fruits cultivés en France et admis par le congrès pomologique”, vol. 8, page 68, published in Lyon in 1873 by J. Nigon for the Société Pomologique de France and printed by Jean-Marie Fugère (1818–82).

Transfer lithograph in the manner of a stipple engraving (i.e. not using the intaglio process but may have involved the transfer of the image from an intaglio plate onto the stone plate [anastatic printing] and this possibility helps to explain the coarse quality/blurring of the inscriptions [see Bamber Gascoigne 1986, 19g.20]), printed in bistre-coloured ink on wove paper with full margins as published.

Note that this lithographexemplifies two styles of stippling:

• dot roulette stippling—shown by lines of dots outlining the leaf shapes—where a spiked roulette is rolled over an etching ground to produce intaglio stippling when etched;
• punched engraved stippling—shown in the rendering of the grapes—where dent-like stippling is created by percussion spiking of an engraving plate with tools like the mattoir (mace head) producing what is termed “opus mallei” (mallet work).

Size: (sheet) 27.1 x 17.6 cm.

Numbered and lettered on plate: (upper right) “Pl. 12”; (lower left) “Galland sculpt.”; (lower centre) “GROS GROMIER DU CANTAL”; (lower right) “Imp. Fugère, Lyon.”

For those interested in these grapes, which are catalogued under the heading of “Raisins” in the publication in which this lithograph features, the following description by Robert Hogg (1860) on page 105 in “The Fruit Manual” (London, Cottage Gardener Office) may be helpful:

“GROMIER DU CANTAL (Barbaroux; De Candolle; Grec Rouge; Gros Gromier du Cantal; Malaga; Raisin du Pauvre; Raisin de Servie). - Bunches large, a foot long, broad, and shouldered.  Berries large and round.  Very fine, amber skin, speckled with light purplish brown.  Skin very thin, amber coloured, mottled with light purplish-brown. Flesh tender, juicy, and sweet, with a brisk vinous flavour.  Requires a warm vinery to ripen it; and it does not keep long after being ripe. In some vineyards of France, and particularly in those of Tarn-et-Garonne, it is called Alicante”

(https://archive.org/details/fruitmanualcont00hogggoog/page/n112/mode/2up/).

Condition: good impression with margins as published. The sheet has minor age-toning to the edges, otherwise the sheet is in excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, losses, significant stains or foxing).

I am selling this technically interesting and well executed study of grapes for AU$165 (currently US$104.82/EUR95.82/GBP84.18 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 seemingly simple lithograph but an image created from an amalgam of techniques (see discussion above), please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.