Restoration of Robert Nanteuil’s engraving, “Marie Jeanne Baptiste de Savoie-Nemours”, 1678

BEFORE AND AFTER RESTORATION

Robert Nanteuil (aka Robert Nantueil) (1623–1678)

“Marie Jeanne Baptiste de Savoie-Nemours”, 1678, after Laurent du Sour (fl.1678), engraved for “Theatrum statuum regiae Celsitudinis Sabaudiae principis Regis” (Amsterdam, Blaeu, 1682).

Engraving on laid paper with restorations backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 43.2 x 29.4 cm; (soft plate approx. only) 39.5 x 25.8 cm; (image borderline) 38.8. x 24.8 cm.

Inscribed on plate with entwined initials at upper left and right corners and coat of arms below the portrait.

State ii? (of iii)

Lettered on plate within the image borderline on pedestal: (left) “Laurent du Sour pinx[it]”; (centre) “Marie Jeanne Baptiste de Sauoye/ Duchesse de Sauoye, Princesse de Piemont, Reyne de/ Chypre &c, Tutrice, et Regente &c/ pendant la Minorité de Son Fils.”; (right) “R. Nanteüil Sculp. 1678.”

Petitjean & Wickert 348.205 (Ch. Petitjean & Ch. Wickert 1925, “Catalogue de l'oeuvre gravé de Robert Nanteuil”, Paris); Adamczak 257–58.256

The British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art offer description of this print:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1864-1114-517;

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/428745.

Condition: many restorations (see before and after photographs) and fractures to the margin. The sheet has been laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this very rare, large and important etching for AU$296 (currently US$210.99/EUR180.06/GBP164.13 at the time of posting this print) including Express Mail (EMS) 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 magnificent engraving (despite its restorations) 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

RESTORATION PROCESS:

1. The print is soaked in clean water for several days in the sun. No bleach or other chemicals are added and the “cleaning” is all achieved by the heat of the sun and UV.

2. Glue is prepared using (if one were to follow my method): 2 heaped soup-spoons of rice flour starch with an 18 cm squirt of Japanese archival glue (see photo) and blended in 500 ml of cold distilled water.

3.  The print is removed from the water and placed image down onto a sheet of cellophane. The prepared glue is then brushed carefully over the back of the sheet that is now supported by cellophane.

4. A support sheet of archival paper (I use a Chinese paper of the highest quality) that is larger than the print is placed onto a clean acrylic sheet and the archival paper is then brushed with the prepared glue until it is thoroughly soaked—ensuring that there are no air bubbles or creases.

5. Lifting the print using the cellophane backing, turn the print upside down with the cellophane still attached and position the print onto the still-wet-with-glue support sheet. Use a firm pressure applied to the back of the cellophane to laminate the print to the support sheet (I use a traditional gluing brush for this procedure).

6. Peel back the cellophane and mop up the residual glue using blotting/tissue paper.

7. Leave the support sheet attached by the residue glue on the acrylic sheet until it is thoroughly dry—about a week—and make any replenishment infilling (if required) using artist’s quality watercolour. Note that I needed to edit out a train of brown stains using W&N Titanium white blended to the colour and tone of the laid paper.

8. When the sheet is dry, remove it from the acrylic base using a palette knife.