Francisque de Saint-Etienne’s etching, “Formentera (Iles Baléares)”, 1860

Francisque de Saint-Etienne (aka Francisc de Saint-Étienne; Louis Francisc Hippolyte Bessodes de Roquefeuille [true name]; Louis Francisque Hippolyte Bessodes de Roquefeuil) (1824–1885)

“Formentera (Iles Baléares)”, 1860, published in France in June 1860 opposite page 306 in the art periodical, “Gazette des Beaux-Arts”, as an illustration to the article by Xavier Nogaret, “Exposition de Montpellier” (pp. 302–309). This impression is from a state either before lettering, or after erasure of lettering, showing the printer’s details: “Imp. Delâtre, Paris.”

Etching on chine-collé on wove paper backed with a support sheet.

Size: (support sheet) 30.3 x 37.8 cm; (sheet) 16 x 24.3 cm; (plate) 11.4 x 20.8 cm; (chine collé) 11 x 20.1 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left scratch inscribed almost illegible) “Fran de S^t-Etienne aqua-forti”; (left of centre) “GAZETTE DES BEAUX ARTS”; (centre) “FORMENTERA (Iles Baléares.)”

Sanchez and Seydoux 12 (Pierre Sanchez & Xavier Seydoux 1860/1998, “Les Estampes de la Gazette des Beaux-Arts (1859–1933)”, Paris, L'echelle de Jacob, p. 29, cat. no. 12 [see https://archive.org/details/lesestampesdelag0000sanc).

Condition: a strong and well-printed (near faultless) impression laid upon a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The sheet is in a very good condition.

I am selling this lightly drawn etching capturing the sparkling light and simple beauty of the smallest of the Balearic Islands—a half-hour by boat from Ibiza Town—for AU$242 in total (currently US$152.45/EUR155.02/GBP135.04 at the time of posting this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) 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 etching of a light-filled paradise, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.