Charles Émile Jacque’s etching, “Herd of Pigs Coming Out of a Wood”, 1849 (2nd copy)

Charles Émile Jacque (1813–1894)

“Herd of Pigs Coming Out of a Wood” (aka “Troupeau de porcs sortant d'un bois”), 1849, the twelfth plate initially published in Paris by Picot (fl.1830–1845/49) in 1850, printed by Delâtre Frères (fl.c.1840s) in the series of twenty prints, “20 sujets composés et gravés à l'eau-forte par Ch. Jacques” (20 subjects composed and etched by Jacques Ch.). This impression is from a late edition with the plate number and publication details erased.

Etching with engraving with plate tone on heavy wove paper with wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 24.5 x 32.4 cm; (plate [soft)) 14.6 x 20.5 cm; (image borderline) 11.1 x 17.3 cm

Inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (upper right corner) “X^bre ch. Jacque 1849”

Final state (v of v?) Note: Guiffrey (1866) describes three states of this print (viz. first state executed solely in etching; second state showing contours enhanced with engraving; third state with the headland fully described and with horizontal lines in sky). Guiffrey does not describe the numbered state or the later state impression held by the BM where the number is “burnished off but still partly visible” (BM no. 1889,0608.117).

Guiffrey 1866 87 (undescribed state) (J-J Guiffrey 1866, “L'Oeuvre de Charles Jacque: catalogue de ses eaux-fortes et pointes seches”, Paris); IFF 234 (Inventaire du Fonds Français: Bibliothèque Nationale, Département des Estampes, Paris, 1930).

J-J Guiffrey (1866) offers the following description of this print in his catalogue raisonné for Jacque, “L'Oeuvre de Charles Jacque”:

(transl.) “Herd of pigs coming out of a wood driven by a young villager who, with a raised stick directs their progress … . Behind them you can see the top of an embankment.” (p. 63).

See also the description of the print at the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1889-0608-117.

Condition: a richly inked and faultless impression in near pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, losses, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this wonderfully preserved etching by one of the luminaries of the Barbizon School epitomising the spirit of this important group of artists in celebrating “honest” rural labour before industrialisation changed everything—note that the herdsman’s only tool of trade is a roughly hewn stick with which he drives his grunting drift of pigs—for AU$243 (currently US$176.52/EUR150.36/GBP129.16 at the time of posting this print) 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 superb impression of a very beautiful etching, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Note that this is the second copy of these marvellous etching that I have listed. The previous copy has been sold.