Nicolas Chaperon’s etching, “The Baptism of Christ”, 1649

Nicolas Chaperon (aka Nicolas Chapron) (1612–1654/5)

“The Baptism of Christ” (aka “Doop van Christus”; “Jésus-Christ Baptisé dans le Jourdain par Saint Jean”), 1649, plate 52 from the series of 54 plates, “Sacrae Historiae Acta a Raphael Urbin in Vaticanis Xystis ad Picturae Miraculum Expressa” (aka “Raphael Bible”), reproducing the series of frescoes executed by Raphael’s workshop in the vaulted ceiling of the Raphael Loggia at the Vatican, published in Rome in 1649 (see the Curator of the British Museum’s description of this series: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_L-66-1).

Etching on laid paper with a small margin (with restorations) around the platemark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (support sheet) 35.7 x 53 cm; (sheet) 24 x 40.7 cm; (plate) 21.6 x 39.2 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left) “R.V.I.”; (centre) “Venit Jesus, à Nazareth, et Baptizatus:/ est à Johanne in Iordane. Marc.C.I.”; (right) “N.C.F. [Nicolas Chaperon Fecit]/ 51.”

IFF 51 (Département des estampes 1939–, “Inventaire du Fonds Français: Graveurs du XVIIe Siècle”, vol. 2, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, p. 270, cat. no. 51); Robert-Dumesnil 53 (Robert-Dumesnil 1835, “Le peintre-graveur français, ou Catalogue raisonné des estampes gravées par les peintres et les dessinateurs de l'école française: ouvrage faisant suite au Peintre-graveur de M. Bartsch”, vol. 6, Paris, p. 230, cat. no. 53 [see https://archive.org/details/bnf-bpt6k65576943/page/n249/mode/2up]).

See also the descriptions of this print offered by The British Museum, The Royal Collection Trust and The Rijksmuseum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_L-66-53; https://albert.rct.uk/collections/raphael-collection/vatican-frescoes/the-baptism-of-christ-1; http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.775498.

Condition: a strong impression with tears and restorations in the margin at right and laid onto a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this reasonably large etching after the famous fresco executed by Raphael’s workshop in the vaulted ceiling of the Raphael Loggia at the Vatican—I understand that it is the thirteenth bay—for the total cost of AU$280 (currently US$188.70/EUR177.31/GBP157.41 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 strong and superbly executed etching in its visually striking octagonal format, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Note that in my last post I showed Francesco Villamena’s engraving (1626) of the same design after Raphael and, in a much earlier post, I showed Orazio Borgianni's etching (1615) which are interesting to compare with this etching by Nicolas Chaperon (1649).

This print has been sold