Lucien Marcelin Gautier’s etching, “La Passe du Vieux Port à Marseille”, 1882

Lucien Marcelin Gautier (1850–1925)

“La Passe du Vieux Port à Marseille”, 1882, the first plate from the suite of fifteen etchings, “Vues de Marseille” (Beraldi 17–31), artist’s proof scratch signed and dated on the plate before formal lettering with title and publication details for the French periodical, “L'Art: Revue Hebdomadaire Illustrée”, printed by François Liénard (fl.1860s–1880s) in Paris.

According to Beraldi's catalogue raisonné (1887, vol. 6, pp. 250–51), Gautier executed in total, sixteen views of Paris, fifteen views of Marseille and twenty views of other localities within and beyond France.

Etching with pale plate tone on imitation vellum wove paper with pre-publication scratch signature and date on plate, backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 26.4 x 41.6 cm; (plate) 25.3 x 40.5 cm; (image borderline) 21.3 x 38.5 cm.

Inscribed on plate above the image borderline: (left) “Lucien Gautier 1882”.

Beraldi 1887 17 (Henri Beraldi 1887, “Les graveurs du 19e siècle; guide de l'amateur d'estampes modernes”, vol. 6, Paris, L Conquet, p. 251, cat. no. 17).

Condition: richly inked, near faultless impression with small margins laid onto a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The sheet is in an excellent condition (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, losses, stains or foxing).

I am selling this stunning panorama of the old port of Marseille showing the many small sail craft giving a sense of the bustling life in the harbour in the late 1800s for AU$276 in total (currently US$201.69/EUR170.45/GBP151.61 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 poetically glowing proof-state etching, 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