Karel Dujardin’s etching, “Landscape with Donkey and Two Sheep”, 1653

Karel Dujardin (aka Karel Du Jardin; Carel Dujardin; Carel du Jardin; Bokkebaart) (1626–1678)

“Landscape with Donkey and Two Sheep” (aka “Heuvellandschap met huizen en ezel en twee schepen” [Rijksmuseum title]; “L’âne entre deux moutons” [Bartsch title]), 1653, plate 32, etching on laid paper trimmed within the platemark at top with loss of the artist’s name, inscribed in ink verso ex-collection Naudet (fl.c1769–1810) (Naudet [Lugt 1937]) with the date “17[90”.

Frits Lugt in “Les Marques de Collections de Dessins & d’Estampes” (Fondation Custodia) offers the following information regarding this collector:

(transl.) “NAUDET (circa 1800), printmaker, established in the Louvre, Paris. […] Naudet is the printmaker who figures among the guests of the “Meal given on March 7, 1806 by the Mds d'Estampes de Paris, to their Confrère and their friend Le Clerc” (anonymous engraver of the time). He used to sign on the back the beautiful prints that passed through his hands. We see his signature accompanied by vintages varying from 1769 to 1810. He is probably from the family of Joseph Naudet, who was professor, and director of the Royal Library from 1840 to 1860 (http://www.marquesdecollections.fr/detail.cfm/marque/8618).

Size: (sheet) 16.5 x 22.5 cm.

Numbered in plate: (lower right corner) “32”.

Hand-inscribed in brown ink verso: “Chez Naudet M[archand] & D[’]estampes au Louvre 17[9]0”.

State ii (of iii) with the addition of the plate number.

TIB 1.32 (184) (Leonard J Slatkes [ed.] 1978, The Illustrated Bartsch: Netherlandish Artists, vol. 1, New York, Abaris Books, p. 202, cat. no. 32 [184]); Hollstein Dutch 32 ii.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Landscape with an ass between two sheep, two trees in left foreground, a resting ass with head turned to the right at right, flanked by resting sheep, a group of buildings surrounded by trees in the mid-distance, a mountain in background; second state with number. 1653 Etching” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_Sheepshanks-885).

See also a description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.38348.

Condition: a remarkably strong and near faultless impression, trimmed within the image borderline with significant loss of the upper sky area including the artist’s name. Beyond this major issue of loss, the sheet is in a near pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains or foxing and with an important hand-written collector’s note verso.

I am selling this superb impression with a hand-written inscription verso that I understand was once in violet ink, but has faded now to brown, testifying that this print was part of the ex-collection of the famous art collector, publisher and dealer Naudet—see biographical details offered by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG39925—for the total cost of AU$242 (currently US$155.03/EUR158.18/GBP138.84 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 extraordinarily beautiful etching with its plunging view to what I see as an Italianate villa (forgive me if I am wrong about this), 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