Charles Daubigny’s etching “Tree with Crows”, 1878

Charles Daubigny (aka Charles François Daubigny) (1817–1878)

“Tree with Crows” (aka “L'Arbre aux Corbeaux”; “The Tree of Crows”), 1867, printed by the Chalcographie du Louvre.

Etching printed in a dark brown ink on buff coloured heavy wove paper with wide margins with the blind stamp of the Chalcographie in the lower margin at centre.

Size: (sheet) 36.3 x 48.7 cm; (plate) 21.5 x 29.8 cm; (image borderline) 18.2 x 27.7 cm.  

Inscribed in plate below the image borderline: (left) “Daubigny 1867”.

State ii (of ii) printed posthumously by the Chalcographie du Louvre.

Melot D120 S2 (Michel Melot 1978, “Graphic Art of the Pre-Impressionists”, New York, Harry N. Abrams, p, 282, cat. no. D 120 [2]); Delteil 120 ii/ii, (“Le Peintre-Graveur Illustré [XIXe et XXe siècles]”); IFF 58 (Jean Adhémar & Jacques Lethève 1954, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800”, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, cat. no. 58).

Melot (1978) offers the following insights about this print:

“This, perhaps the most celebrated of Daubigny's etchings, marks a change in style toward a realism which is more spare and, as [Jean] Laran said, more oriented toward ‘luminous effect’ and ‘an almost tragic beauty.’ It is also an engraving that Daubigny must have done purely for itself since—something rare indeed with him—it is unconnected with any project for publication. Further, it served as the basis for a painting he did in 1873. Thus we find ourselves here well within the new movement of the original art-print treated with the same dignity as a canvas, though Fidell-Beaufort (vol. I, p. I14) does suggest that the plate was intended for the Société des Aquafortistes and was not brought out by them because they disbanded in 1867” (p. 282).

See also the description offered by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_2019-7015-97.

Condition: a richly inked and well-printed (near faultless) impression with generously wide margins in pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this major etching described by Daubigny's biographer (Jean Laran) as possibly “the most magisterial of his plates” (see BM inv. 2019,7015.97), for the total cost of AU$256 (currently US$185.95/EUR157.91/GBP135.23 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 large and famous etching by one of the luminaries of the Barbizon School, 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