Étienne Delaune, “Fire”, c.1576

Étienne Delaune (aka Stephanus) (c1518–83)

“Fire” (aka “Le Feu”; “Vuur”), c.1576 (1573–1580), a first state, lifetime, impression from the series of four plates, “The Four Elements” (aka “Personificaties van de vier elementen; “De vier elementen”).

Engraving on fine laid paper trimmed along the platemark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 5.3 x 6.6cm; (oval image borderline) 5.1 x 6.4cm.

Inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (lower left) “S[tephanus]”.

State i (of ii) before the addition of the number “12” at the lower right corner.

IFF 114 (Jean Adhémar 1932–38, “Inventaire du Fonds Français: Graveurs du Seizième Siècle”, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, vol. 1, p. 238, cat. no. 114); Robert-Dumesnil 106 (A P F 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 Bartsch”, vol. 9, Paris, G Warée, pp. 42-43, cat.no. 106 [https://archive.org/details/bnf-bpt6k65575421/page/n63/mode/2up]).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print: (transl.) “Jupiter, seated on a cloud above a landscape with a castle” (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.103019).

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression trimmed along the platemark and laid onto a sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains.

I am selling this small and finely crafted engraving—a true jewel of an engraving—for the total cost of AU$318 (currently US$209.85/EUR194.30/GBP161.90 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. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU$318) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this sensitively rendered engraving—note the engraver’s skill in representing in the minutest of details the burning lime-kilns shown in the distance and all the amazing details portraying the cloud-borne Jupiter with his thunderbolt and eagle attributes all within in space of less than 2cm square—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