REMBRANDT ETCHING (DURAND) : MEDEA - EARLY, FOLIO, ON WATERMARKED LAID PAPER

Description: 19th CENTURY HELIOGRAVURE RE-WORK BY CHARLES AMAND-DURAND (1831-1905) OF REMBRANDT'S 1648 ETCHING "MEDEA: OR THE MARRIAGE OF JASON AND CREUSA" [Generally classified as Bartsch 112] The story represented in this etching revolves around Jason, leader of the Argonauts, and his abduction of Creusa, the daughter of the King of Corinth. Jason's wife, the sorceress Medea, learned of his intentions to marry Creusa, and sought revenge by poisoning Creusa and her father and murdering her own two sons. In the scene, Rembrandt chose a church as the setting, and indeed the setting does resemble that of a Biblical episode - apart from the presence of the female figure in the foreground, who holds the trademark weapons of Medea, a dagger and a container of poison. Size: Image area is 230 x 178 millimetres. Total size of the large folio sheet is 315 x 450 millimetres. SOURCE: From a rare early portfolio-size edition of the Rembrandt etchings published by Durand and Georges Duplessis. It was printed on a large sheet of early "laid", watermarked paper. Think "first edition" Durand. Too large to have been printed in any of the books which appeared in the 1880s onwards, when Durand's work "went viral" (to coin a modern phrase), became an industry, and major French book publishing houses became involved. Very rare CONDITION & TECHNICAL: Very good/excellent condition. A lovely impression, with excellent detail and particularly good tonal contrast. No problems at all. Very well printed on thick "laid", chainlined paper with a small manufacturer's watermark/filigrane (see my reverse photo at the end from the lightbox, which acts as a kind of X-Ray machine). The texture, structure and general "feel" is very similar - almost identical - to 18th century paper. Probably dates from 1869-1875. Margins obviously intact, huge and wide, the platemark line is neat and clearly visible. A lovely sharp, evenly inked impression, pre-dates and was too large for the editions which were published in quarto and large octavo size books from the 1880s onwards. Very rare to have the full sheet survive; most of these portfolio prints have been trimmed down over the years. You will not find a better one - even at some of the eye-watering prices for these Rembrandt/Durands I see all over the internet! Unframed - because I personally believe that it's vital to be able to examine the paper in order to determine the age of the item. Online reference: Note: there were 5 states of this etching; many museums have the later states. Important to look at the early states, as Durand made his heliogravures from early states from the French Bibliotheque Nationale supplied by Duplessis, the Curator. British Museum 1868, 0822.670 LIterature:Bartsch 112Hollstein (Dutch and Flemish) 112New Hollstein (Rembrandt) 241 CONTEXT: Charles Amand Durand developed the revolutionary process of heliogravure in the 1860s. This was much admired by Georges Duplessis (1834-1899), Curator of the Prints Department of the National Library in Paris. The two men decided to collaborate on a lengthy project to re-create some of the Old Master prints in the French collection, particularly the etchings of Rembrandt; Duplessis provided the originals, early states, and Durand used them to meticulously recreate them by his heliogravure process. The project proved so popular that subsequent editions in varying sizes were printed in France from about 1880 onwards. The output became massive. The printing continued after Durand's death in 1905, when the plates were acquired by the Dominique Vincent Company - they, and their successors, continued to print them until 1958, albeit rather worn, ill-defined and on "modern" paper. That is why the 19th century Durands on early paper are much sought after, the particularly early ones - like the one on offer here - even more so. SHIPPING: Will be sent lightly rolled in a wide-diameter "bombproof" tube; quite heavy, hence slightly elevated postal charges. Via "Tracked/Signed For" service of Royal Mail, both for UK and overseas, for everybody's peace of mind. ***I can combine shipping costs for you should you wish to purchase more than one item***

Price: 175 GBP

Location: Wadhurst

End Time: 2024-11-10T18:16:36.000Z

Shipping Cost: 18.96 GBP