Jules Laurens’ lithograph, “L'Ange du Soir”, 1855, after Alexandre Cabanel

Jules Laurens (aka Jules Joseph Augustin Laurens) (1825–1901)

“The Angel of the Evening” (aka “L'Ange du Soir”; “L'Ange du Soir Veillant Sur Une Ville”; “The Evening Angel Watching Over a City”), 1855, lithograph after Alexandre Cabanel’s (1823–1889) painting of the same title executed in 1848 (Musée Fabre, Montpellier), printed by Lemercier (aka Lemercier & Cie) (fl.1827–1899) and published by Hippolyte Peyrol (fl.c.1852–1879) in Paris as plate 25 in an album of 30 lithographs showcasing the collection of Alfred Bruyas (1821–1877) (aka La Galerie Bruyas).

Lithograph printed in black ink on buff-coloured chine collé on heavy wove paper backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 39.4 x 35.6 cm; (image borderline) 19.1 x 23.2 cm.

Lettered and numbered in the stone above the image borderline: (centre) “GALERIE BRUYAS”; (right) “25”.

Lettered in the stone below the image borderline: (left) “A. Cabanel pinx/ L'Ange du Soir”; (centre) “Imp. Lemercier, Paris”; (right) “J. Laurems lith./ Paris, H. Peyrol Edit 24 r Hautefeuille”.

Léon-Honoré Labande (1910) in “Jules Laurens: Ouvrage Illustré d'Après les Œuvres de l'Artiste” (Paris, H. Champion) offers the following description of this print:

(Transl.) “The Evening Angel, with large folded wings, seated on a hillock overlooking the sea and the distant city. The original painting is by Cabanel; lithography, by expressing all the drawing qualities found there, unfortunately could not remove the dryness of the lines.” (p. 228 [https://archive.org/details/juleslaurensouvr00laba/page/228/mode/1up]).

Beraldi (not described) (Henri Beraldi 1885–92, “Les graveurs du 19e siècle; guide de l'amateur d'estampes modernes”, vol. 9, Paris, L Conquet, pp. 59–61; see https://archive.org/details/lesgraveursdu19e09berauoft/page/n67/mode/2up).

Condition: well-printed impression with wide margins laid onto a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. Beyond a few dot restorations, the sheet is in a marvellous condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this poetically luminous and romantic lithograph in reverse after the painting of the same composition by Lauren’s close friend, Alexandre Cabanel, for a total cost of AU$248 (currently US$191.63/EUR157.10/GBP135.06 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 exceptionally beautiful lithograph in near pristine condition, 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