Henri Guérard’s etching, “Vase d'Orphée en Cristal Gravé par M. E. Gallé”, 1889

Henri Guérard (aka Henri Charles Guérard) (1846–1897)

“Vase d'Orphée en Cristal Gravé par M. E. Gallé” (Vase of Orpheus in Engraved Crystal by M. E. Gallé), 1889, after a crystal glass vase by Émile Gallé (1846–1904)  in the collection of Léon Cléry, printed by L Eudes (fl.1876–1889), published in Paris as an illustration to the art periodical, “Gazette des Beaux-Arts”, 1889, vol. 2 (Trente-Unième Annee–Troisieme Periode Tome Deuxième), opposite page 578 (see https://archive.org/details/p3gazettedesbeau02pariuoft/page/n624/mode/2up).

Etching with dot roulette and plate-tone printed in umber ink on watermarked laid paper and backed with a support sheet. Note that the “Gazette des Beaux-Arts” describes this print as an etching (see p. 656).

Size: (support sheet) 44.4 x 33.6 cm; (sheet) 27 x 17.2 cm; (plate) 24 x 16.4 cm; (image borderline) 21.4 x 14.5 cm.

Inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (lower right) “H. GUERARD.”

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left) “H.i Guérard sc.”; (centre) “VASE D'ORPHÉE EN CRISTAL GRAVÉ PAR M. E. GALLÉ./ (Collection de M. Léon Cléry.)/ imp. Eudes.”; (right) “Gazette des Beaux-Arts.”

See earlier states of this print offered by BNF Gallica and Europeana: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10531843b; https://www.europeana.eu/en/item/9200518/ark__12148_btv1b10532188x.

What I find especially beautiful about Guérard’s etching of Gallé’s crystal vase is that the etching captures the nuances of serendipitous unevenness in the two-layered crystal glass that are insightfully observed in the accompanying text to this extraordinary print regarding Gallé work: (transl.) “[Gallé’s] … artistic imagination discovers charming arrangements, unforeseen effects, and, like the ancient Chinese whose originality and also fertility he has, he knows how to take advantage of the accidents which occur under the brutal and violent action of fire, and which, under his skilful fingers, seem to be desired and sought-after combinations” (“Gazette des Beaux-Arts”, p. 579).

Condition: a richly inked and well-printed (near faultless) impression with small margins around the platemark and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper providing larger margins. The sheet is in a near pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this superb etching convincingly showing the artist’s close study of the reflections and the subtle variations of transparent thickness in Émile Gallé’s relief sculpted crystal glass vase, for AU$213 (currently US$147.25/EUR145.85/GBP123.54 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 fascinating translation of a crystal vase by Gallé into line and dot, 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