Gallery of prints for sale

Monday, 27 September 2021

Jacques Androuet du Cerceau’s etching & engraving, “Triple Furrow Plough with Rope Guides”, 1569

Jacques Androuet du Cerceau (c1520–1586), René Boyvin (1525–1598) and workshop printmakers

“Plate 33: Triple Furrow Plough with Rope Guides” (descriptive title only], 1569, a lifetime impression from the first edition (signified by the inscribed Latin text—later editions have the text on the verso of the preceding page [see https://archive.org/details/theatruminstrum00bessa/page/n76/mode/2up]) published in Jacques Besson (c1540–c1576) and François Béroalde de Verville’s (1556–1626), ”Theatrum instrumentorum et machinarum Iacobi Bessoni Delphinatis, mathematici ingeniosissimi".

The Curator of the British Museum offers the following insights regarding the plates in this publication:

“… 'Theatrum Instrumentorum et machinarum', a treatise written by Jacques Besson, illustrated by 60 plates (engraved by various artists including Androuet du Cerceau), and allegedly firstly published in Orléans in 1569, though it is also referred as a book firstly published in 1578 in Lyon.

This very popular work was republished several times, in Geneva (1594 and 1626), in Spain (1602) and in Nuremberg (1595)” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1850-0612-93).  

Etching with engraving on laid paper trimmed with a small margin around the image borderline and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 23 x 32.5 cm; (image borderline) 19.2 (right edge) x 31.9 cm.

Numbered and lettered in plate at upper edge: (left) “33”; (centre) “ARTIFICIVM NON VVLGARE TERRÆ MIRO COMPENDIO ARANDÆ, TRIPLICI VOMERE/ SIMVL, GEMINIS FVNRBVS AD PLAVSTRVM ARATRI ALLIGATIS, ET VEL SVPRA/ PLAVSTRVM, VEL IN FINIBVS ARVI SESE VIC1SSIM EXPLICANTIBVS, ET COM-/ PLICANTIBVS–“

Condition: a strong lifetime impression showing no sign of wear to the printing plate, trimmed with a small margin around the image borderline and laid onto a sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The left edge is stained, otherwise, the sheet is in a good condition with no tears, holes, folds or abrasions.

I am selling this rare lifetime impression (c1569) showing a Renaissance period proposal by  Jacques Besson for ploughing three furrows simultaneously in a field guided by tensioned ropes, for the total cost of AU$253 (currently US$184.07/EUR157.03/GBP134.71 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 amazing illustration from what is arguably the first published compendium of machine inventions—and certainly the most influential! —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











No comments:

Post a Comment

Please let me know your thoughts, advice about inaccuracies (including typos) and additional information that you would like to add to any post.