Pierre Billet’s etching with drypoint, “Pêcheuses à Granville”, 1878

Pierre Billet (aka Pierre-Célestin Billet) (1837–1922)

“Pêcheuses à Granville” (aka “Fisherwomen in Granville”; “Rustende Vrouwen aan de Kust” [Rijksmuseum title]; “Resting Women on the Seashore), 1878, after a painting by Pierre Billet, plate 441 printed and published in Paris by Veuve A. Cadart (fl. 1867–1870/1) as plate 441 in “L'Illustration Nouvelle par une Société de Peintres-Graveurs à l'Eau-Forte”, vol. 10, in 1878 (see https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b85276055/f32.item.r=L'Illustration%20Nouvelle%201878).

Etching with drypoint with plate tone on laid paper trimmed with a small margin around the platemark and backed with a support sheet providing wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 18.4 x 13.5 cm; (plate) 16.2 x 12 cm; (image borderline) 15.4 x 11.5 cm.

Numbered and inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (upper right) “441.”; (lower right) [artist’s monogram] “PB”.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left) “Pierre Billet, pinx et sc.”; (centre) “PÊCHEUSES À GRANVILLE.”; (right) “V^ve A. Cadart,Edit,Imp,Paris.”

IFF 3 (Département des Estampes 1939–, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800”, vol. 2, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, p. 449, cat. no. 3).

See also the descriptions of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum and the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Genève: http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.80619; https://www.mahmah.ch/collection/oeuvres/pecheuses-granville/e-2015-0443-030.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression trimmed with a small margin around the platemark and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. Beyond a minor mark in the margin at lower left, the sheet is in a good condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this marvellous etching—note how the artist has insightfully drawn attention to the closer woman’s head and pointing hand by losing the focal clarity as the eye moves away from this area of focus—for AU$243 (currently US$162.42/EUR146.96/GBP129.37 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 confidently executed etching that is clearly by the hand of a master draughtsman, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.