Ferdinand Gaillard’s engraving, “Saint Sebastien”, 1876

Ferdinand Gaillard (aka Claude Ferdinand Gaillard) (1834–1887)

“St Sebastien” (aka “St Sébastien”; “St Sebastian”), 1876, after Ferdinand Gaillard’s painting executed in oil on wood, between 1834 and 1887, and exhibited in the Salon of 1876, currently in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris (previously held in the Musée du Luxembourg) (see https://www.musee-orsay.fr/fr/collections/catalogue-des-oeuvres/notice.html?no_cache=1&nnumid=020545&cHash=2e89141a65), printed by Charles Chardon aîné (fl. mid-1800s) and published in Paris in “L'Art”, 3 September 1876.

Engraving on buff coloured heavy wove paper with wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 39.2 x 28.9 cm; (plate) 28 x 18 cm; (image borderline) 21.3 x 10.9 cm.

Lettered on plate above the image borderline: (centre) “SALON DE 1876.”

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “L'Art”; (centre) “'Gaillard pinxt. & sculpt./ St.SEBASTIEN.”; (right) “Imp. Ch. Chardon ainé, Paris.”

State viii (of viii) with publication details

Beraldi 34 viii (Henri Beraldi 1885–92, “Les graveurs du 19e siècle; guide de l'amateur d'estampes modernes”, vol. 6, Paris, L Conquet, p. 203, cat. no. 34; see https://archive.org/details/lesgraveursdu19e06berauoft/page/202/mode/2up); IFF 53 (Jean Adhémar & Jacques Lethève 1954, “Inventaire du fonds français après 1800”, vol. 8, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Département des estampes, cat. no. 53).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“St Sebastian, standing full-length in contrapposto in front of a column, hands tied behind his back; published in 'L'Art', 3 September 1876 Engraving” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1877-0210-624).

See also the description of this print offered by Harvard Art Museums: https://hvrd.art/o/265023.

Condition: a well printed impression with generously wide margins in excellent condition with no tears, folds, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this exceptional engraving—as are all of Gaillard’s amazingly prints executed with such minute strokes that a magnifying glass is needed to see the lines as Henri Beraldi (1887) insightfully writes, “…where another engraver would put one line, he [Gaillard] puts ten, thanks to the exceptional keenness of his sight” (“Catalogue of Engravings by Ferdinant Gaillard”, The Grolier Club, p viii)—for the total cost of AU$237 (currently US$183.89/EUR150.76/GBP130.10 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 museum-quality impression of a major engraving by one of the finest engravers of 19^th century and interestingly reproducing the artist’s own painting of St Sebastian, 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