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Monday, 7 December 2020

Eugène Delacroix’s lithograph, “Feuille de six médailles antiques”, 1825

Eugène Delacroix (aka Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix) (1798–1863)

“Feuille de six médailles antiques” (Sheet with six antique medals), 1825, printed by Bertauts (fl.1830s–1880) and published in the journal, “L’Artiste” in 1865 in Paris.

Lithograph printed in black and buff colour ink on wove paper.

Size: (sheet) 25.7 x 35.9 cm; (image borderline) 19.9 x 26.5 cm.

Inscribed on stone with the artist’s signature and date: (lower right) “E Delacroix/ 1825”.

Lettered on stone: (lower left) “IMP. BERTAUTS, PARIS.”; (upper right) “PUBLIÉ PAR L’ARTISTE”.

Delteil 44.III (Loys Delteil 1908, “Le peintre-graveur illustré XIXe et XXe siècle: Ingres et Delacroix”, Paris, vol. 3, cat. no. 44).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Six medals, sketchily represented, with from top left to right: a bearded head to left; a standing whole-length nude helmeted warrior with a dagger facing left; a bearded head to left wearing head and ear ornament; from bottom left to right: a gryphon; a lion and a star motif; a lion pounced on a bull; Greek inscriptions visible on some of them. 1825. Published in "L'Artiste"
Lithograph tinted with one tint-stone”

(https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1980-U-1329).

See also the description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum:

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.102884.

Interestingly, the initial printer of this plate (before Bertauts) was Godefroy Engelmann I (1788–1839), who is famous for his crayon-lithographs along with development of the lithographic wash in 1819 and as the patentee of chromolithography. I mention this seemingly random comment because I see the use of the buff-coloured ground in this print and the use of lithographic crayon in a frottage manner over the coin/medals has lending the idea that Engelmann may have helped Delacroix with the development of this print. Sadly, I do not have any documentation about the professional relationship between the Engelmann as the first printer of this plate and Delacroix and consequently this idea rests solely in my head. For those who may be interested in Engelmann’s contribution to the lithography, see an archive of the printer’s studies at Princeton University: https://graphicarts.princeton.edu/2015/03/03/engelmann-archive-of-proofs-and-samples-has-been-digitized/

Condition: strong impression in near pristine/museum quality condition with no tears, holes, abrasions, folds, losses, stains, foxing of signs of handling.

I am selling this fascinating original lithograph by Delacroix of a set of six antique coins/medals, for AU$351 (currently US$260.19/EUR214.42/GBP195.65 at the time of this listing) 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 rare lithograph, 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











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