THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM LIBRARY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/frenchprintsofeiOOnevi ' FRENCH PRINTS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited LONDON • BOMBAY • CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd TORONTO r~, *rvrn 5 It 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 ■ 11 11 18 22 26 28 30 34 44 5 ° 54 62 68 76 80 88 96 104 106 108 1 16 1 20 128 130 136 ix X PLATE FRENCH PRINTS XXVI. Les Hasards heureux de 1 ’escarpolette face page 1 40 XXVII. La bonne Mere .... „ 142 XXVIII. Le Serment d’amour ... „ 144 XXIX. Le petit Jour ..... „ 146 XXX. Le Billet doux .... ,, 160 XXXI. “Qu’en dit l’abbe ?” . 162 XXXII. L’heureux Moment ... „ 164 XXXIII. Le Mercurc de France ... „ 166 XXXIV. Le Lever des ouvriercs en modes . ,, 168 XXXV. L’ficolc de danse .... „ 170 XXXVI. L’Asscrablec au concert ... „ 172 XXXVII. L’Asscmblec au salon ... ,, 174 XXXVIII. La Soubrcttc confidcntc ... „ 176 XXXIX. La Lc **jjf % r !.L\ VROMKXXm: DU somf^ J«*imc< Hoaau's qui luvc* lesclavage, Maid dun Bouquet n'arccpte^ point I hommage, ^yous.pouvcz eeouter des proper seduc u/ura-: Souvont 1 'Amour a eat caclte (Laud les floury La Promenade du soir By Ingouf, after Freudeberg From the first portion of “ Le Monument du costume” From an Engraving in the possession of Mr. F. B. Daniel 1 , 32 Cranbourn St., W.C. Plate IT FRENCH PRINTS l 7 Guttenberg.” On his return to his native country he painted a number of water-colours, some of which he engraved and caused to be coloured by hand. The artistic value of these productions is, it must be admitted, exceedingly small. Plates belonging to the second and third sets of “ Le Monument du costume ” may always be identified by the absence of the ornamental border which is such a feature of the first. In these the fashion-plate idea is entirely abandoned, Moreau’s genius having carried the designs a great deal farther from an artistic point of view. The edition of “ Le Monument du cos- tume ” (that is, the last twenty-four plates) pub- lished at Neuwied-sur-le-Rhin, “ chez la Societe typographique, 1789,” is, of course, not nearly so valuable as the edition published by Prault. In these days, however, when prints of this sort are so much sought after, it is by no means to be despised. The engravings in this are in the last state with letters, and may easily be recognised on account of the date following the engraver’s name being very visibly effaced. As a rule, the impressions are not by any means first-rate, but nevertheless many of them convey a very pleasing effect. Within recent years several new editions of “ Le Monument du costume ” have been pub- lished. These, of course, are quite devoid of any real value, though useful enough as a means of affording some idea of the original work. “ Le Monument du costume ” has more than once been published in a miniature form. c 1 8 FRENCH PRINTS There exists a tiny reduction ot the first set, which was originally issued in the Almanack Jc Gotha , 1776. Though the impressions arc not good, these little plates are ot considerable value on account ot their rarity — in some ot them certain details dither from those in the large series. “ L’Evenement au bal ” is called 44 Lc Bal ’* simply, whilst the table loaded with truit which figures in the original print has disappeared. Of the second series no less than three reduc- tions exist. The best ot these is the one pub- lished by Moreau, “ Cour du Mai au Palais Hotel de la Tresorerie.” The prints are numbered and lettered A.P.D.R. They are engraved in a reverse sense, and bear four or five lines ot letterpress beneath each. Proofs and also the engraved title-page are rarities much sought alter by collectors. Another small set was engraved by a German — Gleich by name — in red. The plates in this are in the same sense as in the original, but A.P.D.R. is altered into A.P.I.D.S.H. Yet another series of small plates reproducing the second set were engraved in Holland. Beneath each ot these is a tablet, with letterpress in French and Dutch. The title-page ot the little edition published by Moreau (ot which a facsimile reproduction, the exact size ot the original, is given facing this page) is exceedingly rare. Some years ago Lord Carnarvon was fortunate enough to secure two perfect copies of this little book in a shop at Pera. They were at the bottom of an old box which contained such odds and ends as Secohde Suite d’Estampes, I Pour jfervir a 1 IliUoire des Modes , et tlu Codume en Prance , dans le XVIII liocle ; Aiuiec* \~r~r6 . / / » H . i PARIS, ( fie'z*. Air Al'reau , O’Vtwchr Pit L alunct Jit Hot, Lour Ju ALu au Palau, Hold tie la FrPora'ic . A P I).H, 1-TBm.r. rg r.iagi i aai i r- in i«sa ■ Title-Page of reduction of “Le Monument du costume Plate III FRENCH PRINTS 19 old illustrated journals and pictures of long- forgotten professional beauties, and he secured them for the very moderate sum of one Turkish pound. It is generally supposed that no names of engravers are to be found on these little plates. Such a supposition, however, is not based upon fact— on some of the prints the names of Camligue and Guttenberg may be easily discerned. At the time when Moreau designed “ Le Monument du costume ” he had been for some five years Dessinateur des menus plaisirs du Ro/\ an office which enabled him to be present at the coronation of Louis XVI. at Rheims, and to produce what may perhaps be called his master- piece — the famous u Serment de Louis XVI. a son sacre.” In this wonderful design, which Moreau himself engraved, no less than five hundred people are portrayed. It is, indeed, a marvellous representation of the most majestic of all the ceremonies which took place in old France — of a rite in which the Middle Ages were for the time being revived, their usages being mingled with those of the Court of Louis XVI. With extraordinary genius Moreau seized the very spirit of this solemn function, whilst depicting even its minor details with the greatest accuracy and charm. A peculiar feature which must, however, be noted about the engraving is that in some of the windows in the upper part of the Cathedral certain erotic little figures may be discerned. These are very faintly indicated, but they exist, and would seem to 20 FRENCH PRINTS show that the artist must already have enter- J tained some of those revolutionary ideas which J he afterwards openly avowed. The artistic career ot Moreau le jeune must be divided into two distinct periods. In the first of these he stands forth as an artist absolutely supreme in his own particular line ; in the second his work is tor the most part inferior, and consists chiefly ot pseudo-classical compositions of small worth. In this later phase his style became transformed, and he seems to have com- pletely lost that love ot accurate detail which is so marked a feature ot his work executed before the Revolution. He sought, as it were, to modity his own personality and to force his pencil into sympathy with an epoch which he but imperfectly understood. At heart Moreau must always have been something ot a revolutionist, for by no one were the new ideas more eagerly welcomed than O J by him. Nevertheless they would seem to have » » destroyed his talent, for with the advent of the Revolution he became an entirely different being. Full ot enthusiasm tor the regeneration of humanity, he developed a deplorable taste tor pseudo-classical compositions totally devoid of artistic value, one ot the most typical ot these being “ L’Arrivee de J. J. Rousseau aux Champs- Elysees, 1782,” which was engraved by Macret and dedicated “ aux bonnes meres ” ! When contemplating such work as this, it is hardly possible to realise that the artist is the same man who designed the beautiful “ Souper a Louvenciennes " (Louis XV. being FRENCH PRINTS 21 entertained by Madame du Barry), which now hangs in the Louvre. With the coming of the Revolution there arose a different Moreau altogether, whose voice was amongst the loudest of those seeking to bring democratic ideas even into the realm of art. With his friends David and Gerard he pleaded with some eloquence for absolute equality in the Academy. He paid dearly for this enthusiasm, for the “ Terror” brought ruin to him, his savings being soon exhausted. In 1799 the artist was only too glad to accept a modest professorship of drawing in the Ecoles Centrales, a paltry post for a man of such supreme artistic attainments. Even this was soon done away with, and he then attempted to gain a livelihood by designing vignettes. His talent, however, was gone, and a composition representing the rejoicings held on the marriage of Napoleon attracted no attention whatever. In 1814 Louis XVIII., who (considering Moreau’s almost frenzied acclamation of the Revolution) seems to have been of a most forgiving disposition, once more appointed him to his old post of Dessinateur du Cabinet du Roi. Poverty, neglect, and disease, however, had done their work, and a few months later Moreau died of cancer. Most of this artist’s contemporaries, who, like himself, had welcomed the coming of the New Era, discovered that ruin, artistic and financial, followed in its train. The Revolution, indeed, literally annihilated them, for, after the brilliant society from which they had drawn 22 FRENCH PRINTS inspiration as well as daily bread was engulfed, nothing arose to take its place. Of the life of Moreau very little is known. At twenty-nine his reputation was made, and nine years later his “ Serment de Louis XVI.” opened for him the doors of the Academy. At twenty-four he married Nicole Pinneau, the daughter of a sculptor, and his daughter, who afterwards became Madame Carle Vernet, was born some five years later. She it was, it may be added, who made the superb collec- tion of her father’s work in seven volumes, which, originally intended for presentation to the Emperor Alexander, is now one of the treasures of the Bibliotheque Nationale. The salient feature of Moreau’s genius was its universality, everything he did before his artistic decadence being marvellously good. Designer as well as engraver, he would execute a great historical scene or a small book-illustra- tion with equal facility and success ; above all, his work was always thorough, and prompted by careful and accurate observation. A man of indefatigable industry, the number of engraved pieces by and after him amount to about eighteen hundred — this, of course, includes many book illustrations, tailpieces, and the like. Amongst great eighteenth-centurv engravers the three brothers, Jacques Gabriel, Germain, and Augustin de St-Aubin, must not be for- gotten — the last, a pupil of Laurent Cars, being perhaps the most widely known, by reason of the two pretty engravings, “ Au moins La Baron nk By and after Augustin de St-Aubin (See page 215) Plate IV FRENCH PRINTS 2 3 soyez discret ” and “ Comptez sur mes serments,” which he both designed and engraved. H is “ Bal pare ” and his “ Concert,” engraved by Duclos, and the even more celebrated “ Promenade des remparts de Paris,” engraved by Courtois, are three prints held in high estimation by the collector, a scarce state of the first-mentioned pair, with certain differences — before all letters and decorative framework of drapery — having fetched something like £s°° at one of the great French sales. “ Le Concert,” it may be remarked, is being given in summer time, whilst “ Le Bal,” as the costumes show, takes place during a winter’s evening. Duclos was especially apt at the preparation of plates, executing the etchings of many engravings which others finished and signed. In 1779 he engraved “La Reine Marie Antoinette annon^ant a M me de Bellegarde des juges et la liberte de son mari en mai 1778.” This curious print has reference to the inter- vention of Marie Antoinette, who by her pro- tection saved Antoine Dubois de Bellegarde, an officer of the Gardes du Corps, who had committed a serious breach of military discipline. In spite of the Queen’s intervention on his behalf, Antoine de Bellegarde became a warm supporter of the Revolution, and, elected a Deputy for La Charente to the National Con- vention, not only voted for the death of Louis XVI., but persuaded two of his colleagues to do the same. Another engraver who merits notice is 24 FRENCH PRINTS Helman, born at Lille in 1743. Before entering the atelier of Le Bas, he had received lessons from Gueret and from Louis W atteau, a professor at the Academy of Lille, who lost his post for having dared to introduce drawing from the nude. The faithful interpreter of tour of the designs of Moreau in 44 Le Monument du costume” (“ N’ayez pas peur, ma bonne amie,” 44 Lcs Helices de la maternite,” 44 If Accord partait,” and 44 Le Souper tin”), Helman also engraved 44 Le Roman dangereux,” alter Lavreince — a pretty print eminently characteristic ot the eighteenth century. Like most ot the artists ot his day, Helman accorded a tavourable welcome to the doctrines ot the Revolution, though never reaching that pitch ot trenzied exaltation to which some ot his contemporaries attained. At this period of his lite he engraved certain of the designs of Watteau of Lille (the son of his old professor). This Watteau, whose work in no way resembles that ot his great namesake, has left some curious pictures ot revolutionary days in his own citv, notably 44 Lille pendant le bombardement,” engraved by Masquelier. Before the Revolution, Watteau ot Lille had been a painter ot panels, fans, and Sedan chairs. His pictures, a good number ot which hang in the museum of his native city, are bv no means devoid of interest. Like Helman, Martini, a native of Parma, who had studied under Le Bas, also engraved four plates for 44 Le Monument du costume.” Better known, however, as an engraver of FRENCH PRINTS 2 5 vignettes, Martini was particularly clever at minute work. But as a book illustrator he did not shine, his illustrations for the Decameron fran^ais and the large edition of Les CEuvres de Metastase , lacking imagination and accuracy of line. Jacques Gabriel de St-Aubin, brother of the designer of “ Le Bal pare” and “Le Concert,” executed some valuable engravings in quite another style. Amongst these are the “Spectacle des Tuileries 1760,” “ Le Char- latan,” and six engravings representing a fire at the “ Foire de St-Germain,” which are both scarce and of great interest, never failing to command a large price when they come into the market. A marvellous engraving by Gabriel de St- Aubin represents the Salon du Louvre in 1753. This is a conspicuous instance of his power of rendering light and shade, the effect being pro- duced by the very simplest means. Of Charles Germain de St-Aubin, the elder of the brothers, not much need here be said, his “ Papillonneries humaines,” a series of fanciful little studies of exceeding rarity, being unlikely to fall across the path of any English collector. Like Moreau, Augustin de St-Aubin was ruined by the social upheaval of 1789, and reduced almost to starvation. He attempted to gain a living in classical and historical portraiture of a purely conventional kind. A pathetic letter, one of the last he ever wrote, shows to what a pitch of poverty he had come ; for in it, after detailing his ill-health and other troubles, he entreats that he may be spared the 26 FRENCH PRINTS supreme humiliation of being obliged to affix short descriptions beneath a series of the Kings of France from Pharamond to Napoleon, tor the execution of which he had obtained an order. The St-Aubin ot 1806, the year ot his death, ill, miserable, and impecunious, was altogether a different creature from the light- hearted lover of 44 Comptcz sur mes serments.” The Revolution had done its work. The effect which the great convulsion of 1789 produced in the world of art was almost without exception of a disastrous nature. For the most part style itself was transformed. The extraordinary change which came over artists and engravers after the collapse of the ancien regime is particularly exemplified in the case of Oueverdo, who before 17S9 designed prints such as 44 La Jouissancc,” “ Le Repos,” “ Le Coucher ” and 44 Le Lever dc la mariee ” (these two last of course being quite distinct from the prints ot the same name after Haudouin and Dugoure), 44 Le dangereux Modclc,” and 44 Les Accords du manage,” the engravers of which were Dambrun, Patas, Romanet and others. In addition to these he himself designed and engraved an allegorical composition entitled 44 Louis XVI.” With the fall of the monarchy, however, Oueverdo became an ardent apostle of liberty, and was placed on the list of artists subventioned by the Republic. His style now entirelv altered, and he executed 44 Egalite,” 44 Les Porteurs de charbon et les chevaliers de Saint Louis deposant a la municipality le signe distinctif qu’ils tiennent jonsKAwr. omlc ocf. o Kara A Sf) ^.#1 at/ kwt.v meApy . | ■ ( °roi/3ftyi/ . c'\ V . I Jeotc c/c 7(.. / C\w((d(/h’ < V,* /’ ' I' ( an/cr <$ctgneu{ ' -?vn Vr<\> /fumSfe more by the prettiness of his compositions than by any accurate power of observation. His command of colour is particularly shown in “ La Toilette de Venus” (1783), in which he has marvellously rendered the opalescent tones and the pearl-like rosiness of tint so dear to the painter Boucher. Another chef-ct ceuvre of colour- printing is the portrait of Mademoiselle Bertin, the modiste of Marie Antoinette. Janinet is most successful when dealing with subjects after Lavreince, whose peculiar form of art was specially suited and adapted for repro- duction in engravings in colour. Deficient in power when rendering full and strong hues, Lavreince was a complete master of delicate tones. Faint blues and violets, roses and feathers, all of which were well within his scope, were faithfully shown by Janinet, who brought colour- engraving very near to perfection. For the production of prints such as “ L’ln- discretion,” “ La Comparaison,” and the like, real artistic feeling was necessary, as well as great manual dexterity. Another beautiful colour-print by this engraver, after Huet, is “ Les Sentiments de la nation.” This was executed in honour of the royal family, at the time of the birth of the little Dauphin whose real fate still remains something of a historical mystery. The true father of the coloured engraving was FRENCH PRINTS 46 Le Blond. Born in Frankfort in 1670, this engraver, after going to Rome and Amsterdam, came to London, where he hoped to apply his process of colour-printing to the reproduction of pictures. Misfortune overtook him, however, and discouraged by the failure of a tapestry manu- factory which caused his bankruptcy, he betook himself, an old man, to France, where he succeeded in interesting Louis XV. in his process of colour- engraving, of which the exclusive rights were assured to him provided he would carry it out in the presence of certain commissioners, to whom he was to reveal all its secrets. The colour-printing of Le Blond consisted in superposing three plates, red, yellow, and blue, at least one of them being mezzotinted. These were afterwards increased to four or five. The method he employed was very expensive and did not prove at all a commercial success, the inventor dying a poor man at the age of seventy-one. The experiments of Le Blond, however, were followed up by Jacques Gauthier Dagotv of Marseilles, who, an anatomist by profession, became an engraver in the hope of making a fortune. His method was to employ onlv the four colours, black, blue, yellow, red. This invention was undoubtedly an important one, but nevertheless, with some few exceptions, Dagoty was not conspicuously successful, his prints being faulty in design, whilst the colouring was too often confused and faint. A portrait of Madame du Barry, with Zamor her black page, executed in Dagoty ’s style by his son, Edouard, is, however, a beautiful work of art. FRENCH PRINTS 47 More successful than the engraver just mentioned was Gilles Demarteau, whose imita- tions of Boucher’s drawings are so skilfully executed as on a hasty examination to deceive any but a practised eye. Born at Liege in 1729, Demarteau, it would seem, rather copied than invented the process he employed, which was in reality but an adaptation of the ingenious methods of another engraver — Jean Charles Francois, a native of Lorraine. Under Boucher’s directions, Demarteau produced facsimiles of quite extra- ordinary perfection ; “ Une femme couchee sur le ventre,” a pendant “ Nymph,” “ Une femme qui dort avec son enfant,” and others of a similar nature were exhibited in the Salon of 1767. The work of Demarteau has of late years been rising in value, and his pleasing little imitations of pastel now command a certain price, according to the subjects which they portray. In a great many cases Demarteau dedicated his facsimiles in red chalk to rich financiers who were profitable clients. To Madame De La Haye, wife of M. De La Hay z^fermier general^ he dedicated “ L’Education de l’amour.” A great friend of the artist Huet, Demarteau executed two portraits of the latter’s wife, and dedicated to Boucher “ La Marchande de legumes ” and “ Le Repos champetre,” a couple of admir- ably executed engravings after the designs of Huet. A few prints by Demarteau introduce an agreeable variety into a collection ; on the other hand a great number are apt to become tiring to 4 b french prints the eye, there being a certain sameness about them. Towards the end of the eighteenth century a considerable interest was taken in the various processes of colour-engraving, this form of repro- duction being especially adapted for the rendering of the gouaches of Baudouin, Lavreince, and other artists dealing with the lighter sides of life. Collectors of that day realised that a pleasant diversity was produced by the inclusion of a certain number of coloured prints in their portfolios ; a large quantity of etchings, line engravings, and stipple, tending somewhat to a monotony which needed relief. Nevertheless, too many coloured prints in the same style do not produce a good effect ; it must also not be forgotten that, in some cases, many of those representing shepherdesses and nymphs were not intended for decorative purposes at all, being executed merely as studies for students learning to draw. This especially applies to the work of Demarteau, whose process of reproduction was frequently devoted to such an aim. Louis Bonnet was another engraver who also copied the crayon designs of Boucher, in the imitation of which he sometimes even surpassed Demarteau. He it was who invented what may be termed “ Pastel Engraving.” Bonnet was a prolific worker, and is said to have engraved over a thousand prints. In addi- tion to this he was also a dealer, and published in i 761 a catalogue, now of the most extreme rarity. Bonnet’s process of pastel reproduction — black and white on blue paper — was not infrequently FRENCH PRINTS 49 marvellously successful. For some very good reason he was in the habit of asking more for those of his prints having English titles than for the rest of his work. His most characteristic prints are the large heads of women executed by him after Lagrenee or Boucher. These are in imitation of pastels, and very cleverly done. His studies in red chalk, after Boucher, are also excellent ; indeed his process of reproduction might have been invented specially for the imitation of Boucher’s designs, which they rendered with far more fidelity than any line engraving could ever do. “Venus couche sur un lit de repos ” and “ Le Sommeil de Venus ” (dedicated to Cochin) are two examples of Bonnet at his best. It must be added that the prints inscribed “ Bonnet direxit ” were for the most part produced in his atelier by inferior en- gravers for foreign exportation. Amongst these were a few set in a frame of gold, a somewhat meretricious form of embellishment which has of late years been rather sought after by certain collectors, who have run up heads of women mounted in this way to a considerable price. Towards the close of the eighteenth century in France it was the aspiration of every good engraver, especially when working in colour, to assimilate his style as closely as might be to that of the design which was to be reproduced, breaking away where possible from the ordinary method of merely making a copy, by means of the inven- tion of some new and more satisfactory process. In this direction no one succeeded better than Debucourt, a master of colour-engraving, who E 5 ° FRENCH PRINTS produced prints some of which are real pictures. Here indeed was a true artist, who at his best successfully defied all imitation. Eclipsing Janinet and other rivals, Debucourt by a clever superposition of plates produced a form of colour- print which is totally different from other com- positions executed in anything of the same stvle. There is a special delicacy and refinement of touch about the engravings of this master which strike a distinctive note. Never has colour- printing been carried to such perfection as in the best of his work. Born in 1755, of a good middle-class familv, Louis Philibert Debucourt does not appear to have ever found that opposition to his adoption of art as a career which is frequently the lot of youths in such a station of life, his father being, above all, a man of free and advanced ideas, who, originally an huissier a cheval at the Chatelet, joined in the revolutionary movement with the greatest enthusiasm. In the year 1789 he was procureur fiscal at La Chapelle Saint-Denis ; and a requisition of his still exists, calling upon the Parisian electors to furnish two hundred muskets, wherewith to arm some soldiers under his command. The youthful Debucourt had always mani- fested a considerable taste for painting, and in due course entered the studio of Vien. Here, however, he did not remain long, being apparently out of sympathy with the school of painting to which the precursor of David belonged. When twenty-six years old, Debucourt married a daughter of the sculptor Mouchy. His wedded • • • • vvv . •' -I La Croisee By Debucourt (Second state, after substitution of the children for a young man on the ladder) From an Engraving in the possession of Mr. F. B. Daniel l, 32 Cranbourn St., FF.C. Plate X J FRENCH PRINTS 5 1 life was short ; and fifteen months after the union his wife died, leaving a son. Of this boy Debu- court has left a charming portrait in aquatint — - a print which, it may be added, is exceedingly scarce (see Plate XLVIII.). Jean Baptiste Debu- court, to his father’s great grief, died at the age of twenty, having in his short life shown promise of great artistic aptitude. When nearly fifty, Debucourt contracted a second marriage with a M lle Marquant, the aunt of a M. Jazet, who entered his new relative’s studio with a view to learning aquatint. A picture by Debucourt exists of his second wife, which shows her as a woman of about forty, with an exceedingly clever face. In her hand is a letter, on which is written, “ Mon amie . . . pour la vie, ton ami Debucourt, an VII.” Though there is every reason to believe that Debucourt was very fond of his wives and got on well with them, it must not be imagined that the artist led a regular bourgeois existence. Such was very far from being the case, for in Debucourt was manifested the almost perfect type of the artistic temperament, which, thoroughly careless of the morrow, contemptu- ous of economy and impatient of control, yields easily to many a passing caprice. For prudence, economy, and foresight Debucourt ever enter- tained a deep and profound contempt, deeming apparently that they were considerations quite unworthy of entering into an artist’s life. His character is well shown by the reply which he made to his nephew, who, having been rather successful with one of his productions, announced 5 2 FRENCH PRINTS his intention of investing some part of the profits. “ My dear friend,” said Debucourt to him, “you will never be an artist.” His own method of investment was to expend any funds which he might make in a day’s pleasure, and more often than not the greater portion would find its way into the Palais-Royal, which at that time abounded in all sorts of amusements of a frivolous nature. A man of no very stable convictions, Debucourt threw himself with some ardour into the revolutionary movement, and he who, as De Bucourt, had painted “ Humanite et bienfaisance du Roi,” produced as Debucourt (his correct name, by the way) the “ Calendrier republicain (Pan II.),” together with many other compositions of a strongly republican character. Pie appears in his political con- victions to have had much in common with the celebrated Vicar of Bray. A staunch royalist under Louis XVI., the revolutionary movement sweeps over France, and he at once places his art at the service of those new ideas which were to regenerate humanity. Later on, however, when Napoleon assumes the dictatorship of France, he cordially acquiesces in the new order of things, publishing “ La Paix — a Buonaparte Pacificateur,” and, later on, a picture of the great emperor. The restoration then once more arouses his royalist sentiments, and in due course we rind him issuing prints of “ Louis XVIII.,” of the “ Duchesse d’Angouleme,” and of other members of the royal family of France. FRENCH PRINTS 53 Artistically there may be said to have been two Debucourts, one belonging entirely to the eighteenth century, and another, much inferior to the first, whose work was of a totally different kind. Compare, for instance, “Les deux Baisers’’ (the original picture, “ La feinte Caresse,” was exhibited by Debucourt in the Salon of 1785) with such a production as “ Les Gastronomes affames,” which is indeed more akin to an inferior Bartolozzi than to anything else. Of the colour-prints of Debucourt, “ Les deux Baisers ” is undoubtedly one of the most charming. A good impression is now very difficult to find, as the print has greatly in- creased in value within the last few years. In 1881 a second state fetched three thousand francs; but in 1889 and 1890 third states were sold at auction for two thousand, and seventeen hundred and fifty. At the present time, of course, a far higher figure would be bid. The best w'ork of Debucourt abounds in a grace, a distinction, which is totally lacking once the nineteenth century has fairly launched itself upon its course of years. In his own particular line Debucourt at first easily distanced all rivals, the lightness of effect which he managed to extract from his copper-plates being perfectly marvellous. Above all he obtained a certain satinity of tone (if such an expression may be used) which no other artist has ever succeeded in producing. His work at its best has all the freshness of an aquarelle , whilst showing not the least trace of being the outcome of a mechanical process. 54 FRENCH PRINTS “ Le Menuet de la mariee ” and “ La Noce au chateau ” are two of this artist’s works which have attained a wide celebrity. Of the first named there are five, and of the latter four, states. “ La Noce au chateau ” is the rarer print of the two, and was published three years later than “ Le Menuet de la mariee,” to which it was intended to be a pendant. This latter print, curiously enough, had itself been produced as a pendant to “ La Noce de village,” by Descourtis, after Taunay. In 1787 appeared the “Promenade de la galerie du Palais-Royal” — “The Palais-Royal Gallery’s Walk.” This, oddly enough, does not bear the name of Debucourt, though it is one of his most celebrated works. Four states exist, of which the fourth has Emprime corrected to Imprime . In the third state the numbers are shown on the shops 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, whilst in the second No. 166 only appears. This print is said to abound in portraits, and in some cases personal spite is declared to have been gratified by the artist, notably in the portrait of the dwarf. The pendant to this “ Promenade ” is “ La Promenade du jardin du Palais-Royal,” also dated 1787, unsigned, and very generally (especially in England) attributed to Debucourt. Of this there is a small reduction, which in 1881, at the Miihlbacher sale, fetched two hundred francs ; but since then its value has, of course, increased. We now come to the most celebrated of all Debucourt’s coloured prints, which has aptly been termed his “ swan song ” — “ La Promenade La Promenade publique, 1792 By Debucourt From a Proof in the possession oflValter Burns , Esq. PLATE XI FRENCH PRINTS 55 publique,” published in 1792. Noattempt is here made at caricature, such as is evident in “ La Promenade de la galerie ” ; indeed, the whole composition is a poetic and true picture of Parisian society as it existed in the year 1792. Beneath the chestnut trees which furnished Camille Des Moulins with his revolutionary cockade, we see the crowd of careless pleasure-seekers, amongst them the Due de Chartres stretched out upon four chairs, ogling the frail beauties who found in those gardens a convenient rendezvous. Every type of pleasure-loving Parisian is here carefully studied, the grouping of the figures being admir- able. The whole print, so highly characteristic of the epoch, constitutes an artistic record which is, in short, a very poem of elegance. Five states of this engraving exist, of which the first (in colours) has frequently fetched over 5000 francs, whilst even in 1890 an example was sold in Paris for 6300 francs. The “ Promenade de la galerie du Palais ” (1787) and the “ Promenade publique ” (1792) constitute Debucourt’s chief claim to artistic immortality ; for in these two compositions he has bequeathed to us a fascinating picture of the amusing side of the life of his time, when a throng of pleasure-seekers were wont to make their headquarters in the gardens of the Palais- Royal, which to-day, except for an occasional belated tourist, are quite silent and deserted. There is little doubt but that the idea for the compositions dealing with the Palais-Royal was suggested to Debucourt by the coloured print of Vauxhall, drawn by Rowlandson, aqua- FRENCH PRINTS 56 tinted by Jukes, and engraved by Pollard in 1785. Indeed, the Frenchman’s work bears many traces of having gathered a good deal of inspiration from the English school. In 1791 Debucourt placed all his talent at the service of the Revolution, and produced “ L’Almanach national dedie aux amis de la Constitution,” one of the most artistic of the revolutionary publications. In it appears a medallion containing a portrait of Louis XVI., but a state is said to exist in which the medallion encloses certain revolutionary emblems instead of the portrait. The little groups are designed with much cleverness and spirit, the whole com- position being of course Utopian in the extreme. A French soldier, enfolding: an Englishman in a brotherly embrace, is shown inviting a Turk and an Indian to join the fraternal confederation, whilst aristocracy is pictured in a very unpleasant light. Perhaps the gem of this composition is the revolutionary Press, which is represented by a charming girl selling patriotic papers and broadsheets, whilst she treads underfoot the sheets issued by the enemies of liberty. With the close o f the eighteenth century comes the annihilation of this artist’s talent. The “ Almanach national ” was the last work of Debucourt as a master of gravure-gouache , his subsequent productions being of quite a different quality. Step by step he glides from gaietv into buffoonery, later on to border very closely upon caricature itself, too often, alas ! of a grotesque and witless kind. Once, it is true, he returns to the better method in “ Frascati,” after FRENCH PRINTS 57 a sketch made upon the spot (1807). This is a very good print, and every detail is well brought out. For some time before the publication of this composition Debucourt had become little more than the interpreter of the work of his friend Carle Vernet, who, it must be said, was fully conscious of the debt which he owed to his engraver. The two collaborating together produced a whole series of prints dealing with military costume, etc., and “ Frascati ” is almost the last of Debucourt’s own productions. Hence- forth he appears to have been perfectly content to sink the undoubted originality and talent which he had so often shown himself to possess. In 1803 he left Passy, where he had long resided and where he had contracted his second marriage, and proceeded to take up his residence in the suburbs of Paris, near the Barriere de la Chapelle. Here for some years he lived a sort of country life after his own heart. Fie surrounded himself with pets, and his grounds teemed with rabbits, pigeons, and chickens, none of which were ever allowed to meet with that violent death which is their usual lot. In almost perfect freedom they lived out their lives, whilst Nature alone gave them the signal for retreat. The garden was allowed to run wild, flowers blooming and fruits ripening as the seasons willed, while the children of the neighbourhood were accorded free licence to pluck whatever they might fancy. The latter part of the artist’s career, how- ever, was passed under the hospitable roof of FRENCH PRINTS 58 his nephew, M. Jazet, where the old man con- tinued to work almost to the last day of his life, dying under the illusion, most delicately and honourably suggested to him by his relative, that he owed the comfort and comparative luxury with which he was surrounded to his own efforts as a still active artist. His death took place on the 22nd of September 1832. It is difficult to determine exactly what place in art should be accorded to Debucourt, for his talent was of an exceedingly uneven character, and much of his later work is quite execrable. In any case, however, his name will always be remembered by reason of his prints of the Palais- Royal, which are veritable human documents. A French critic, M. Vaucaire, has, indeed, declared that in his opinion “ La Promenade publique ” alone is worth all the memoirs of its day, for it is the illustration to a book which there is no necessity to read, so fully does its life and colour furnish the material wherewith to reconstitute the epoch which Debucourt pictured. As an engraver, Debucourt produced an immense number of prints from the designs of others than himself. Besides doing much work for Carle Vernet, he also engraved after Charlet, Hippolyte, Lecomte, Le Camus, Webster, and Wilkie, never, however, attaining that excellence which he reaches in his own “ La Noce au chateau," or “ Les deux Baisers.” Uncoloured first states exist of nearly all his prints ; in certain instances these are even more highly esteemed than the coloured ones. FRENCH PRINTS 59 Whereas Debucourt was an engraver who created, Descourtis was merely the interpreter of the work of others — in some cases, however, achieving considerable success. Notably is this the case in the two beautiful colour-prints which indifferent modern reproductions have rendered generally familiar— “ La Foire de village” and “ La Noce de village,” two of a set of four after Taunay. Descourtis, it may be added, executed but a very small number of engravings — twenty at most, and of these only six are of any particular value. He was a pupil of Janinet, and his style was much the same as that of his master. “ L’Amant surpris ” and “ Les Espiegles,” after Challe, are somewhat rare prints by this engraver. His other productions, with the exception of “ La Rixe ” and “ Le Tambourin ” (which complete the set of four mentioned above), are of little value. It should be added that un- coloured reductions of “ La Foire de village” and “ La Noce de village ” exist. These are in considerable request. After the Revolution had annihilated the estampe gal ante , engravers who had formerly worked in this line were naturally obliged to look for another kind of subject likely to prove acceptable to the public. They then began to depict scenes connected with history and politics. J. B. Morret, who had engraved in colours a good many prints after Augustin de St-Aubin, Borel, Huet, and others, in 1792 executed a large colour-print after Swebach-Desfontaines, which deserves considerable attention. This is “ Le 6o FRENCH PRINTS Caffe (sic) des patriotes,” the two states of which are distinguished by the head-dresses of two Grenadiers, who are conspicuous figures in the composition. In the first state they wear Grenadier fur caps ; in the second, one has a Phrygian bonnet and the other a helmet. Amongst other prints by Morret a very characteristic one is “ L’heureux Pressentiment,” which represents Marie Louise playing the piano whilst looking at a picture of Napoleon. Occa- sionally Morret in his post-revolutionary manner becomes grotesque. It may be added that two prints by this engraver, executed before the new order of things had come into being, are exces- sively rare. These are “ L’Escamoteur ” and “ La Diseuse de bonne aventure,” after Pasquier. Though the Revolution was, as has been said, fatal to the prosperity of the great majority of French artists and engravers, some few were affected in a lesser decree, and amongst these was Louis Boillv, who continued to exhibit fine qualities of draughtsmanship and design long after the revolutionary storm had spent its force. He died indeed as late as 1845, having long out- lived the generation which he had pleased as a designer of sujets de boudoir during the pleasure- loving days of the ancien regime . During the Directoire, Boilly produced a number of compositions, of which a good many were executed by an engraver of no very great talent, named Petit. Prints such as “ Detends- moi,” “ Tu saurais ma pensee,” “ Ah ! qu’il est sot ! ” and others in the same style are fairly common, and not particularly worthy of atten- FRENCH PRINTS 61 tion. On the other hand, certain coloured and uncoloured prints after Boilly have within recent years attained a considerable rise in value. Amongst these must be mentioned “L’Optique,” a coloured print by Cazenave ; “ La douce Resistance/’ gracefully engraved by Tresca, and “ Le Prelude de Nina,” by Chaponnier, who also executed “ L’Amant favorise ” and “ Le Bouquet cheri ” after this artist. Nor must a curious composition by Bonnefoy, after Boilly, be over- looked. This is called “La Marche incroyable,” modern impressions of which are quite common, though original ones are equally rare. “ La Marche incroyable ” is a sort of summary of all the queer types to be met in Paris during the days of the Directoire. The tendency of certain prints after Boilly, who was a fine draughtsman, is in some cases rather free. The licence, indeed, in which he occasionally indulged, once nearly got him into serious trouble with the Comite du Salut Public . By good fortune he was warned in time, and at once set to work on a “ Triomphe de Marat ” — a composition which, together with some rather high-flown expressions of devotion to republican ideals, ensured his safety. The work of Boilly is characterised by such a personal accent as to cause its almost immediate recognition by every one having the slightest acquaintance with this painter. The prolific producer of a very large number of small portraits, he perpetuated the features of many persons intimately connected with the Revolu- 62 FRENCH PRINTS tion, whilst in all probability others of almost equal historical importance remain unidentified in certain of his compositions. The young woman standing at a table with a little boy in “L’Optique” (reproduced opposite) is supposed to be the second wife of Danton. Mademoiselle Louise Gely had been a great friend of the first Madame Danton, who, almost with her dying breath, expressed a wish that her husband should marry this young girl of sixteen, to whom she knew him to be devoted. The family to which Mademoiselle Gely belonged was by no means sympathetic to such a match. Imbued with all the traditions and beliefs which Danton sought to destroy, its members would only accord their consent on condition that a religious ceremony should be performed ; a condition to which there was every reason to believe Danton would never consent. Love, however, in him, as in the case of many other great men, easily triumphed over political convictions, and seeking out one of the recalcitrant Catholic priests who lay concealed in different parts of Paris, hoping to escape that death which the law voted by the would-be bridegroom and his associates had prescribed, Danton went through a religious ceremony secretlv performed by the Abbe de Keravenan, who had previously heard the confession of this redoubtable pillar of the Convention. After the death of the great tribune the second Madame Danton reassumed her maiden name and soon married again. Never, it is said, did she make any allusion to her first marriage, /,, La Consolation de l’absence By N. de Launay, after Lavrein.ce Plate XIV FRENCH PRINTS 77 Many other French engravings, it may be added, exhibit similar variations in the details of their various states. The main difference between English and French engravings is that in the latter more at- tention is paid to detail. Besides this, in a great number of instances the drawing and general proportions of the figures are a good deal more accurate and correct ; indeed many French engravings are quite remarkable by reason of the carefully balanced nature of their composi- tion, the various figures, decorations, and pieces of furniture being arranged so as to produce an harmonious and artistically regular effect. Frequently, also, the prints are embellished with ornamental borders which are in themselves works of art. Another charm of a certain class of French prints is the light which they cast upon the furniture and general arrangement of rooms in the eighteenth century. We see, as it were, the actual life as it was lived at that day, amidst the sumptuous accessories now so eagerly sought after by collectors. Many of these French engravings, indeed, are veritable human documents, valuable from an archaeological point of view to the student of life in France previous to the great Revolution. The set of engravings known as “ Le Monument du costume/’ more especially the last twenty- four plates of the series, is a conspicuous instance. Designed by Moreau le jeune, these magnifi- cent prints illustrate not only the surroundings, but the very aspect and character of their day. Instantaneous photographs, as it were, in the most FRENCH PRINTS 78 artistic sense of those words, they convey a poetic impression which photography is quite powerless to impart. No details, however, are glossed over or omitted, careful observation and precision having been pushed to their furthest limits. The art of the eighteenth-century engraver, in short, caught the very physiognomy of France at the most charming, if careless, moment of her existence. The great majority of French engravings most prized by collectors picture scenes of light- hearted domesticity and various forms of pleasure and of love, gracefully reflecting the essential characteristics of the French race, whilst scarcely ever degenerating into that coarseness which is occasionally conspicuous in modern Parisian art. The process of line engraving, though appar- ently simple, is in reality one of considerable difficulty. The instrument used by the engraver is a bar of steel fixed in a mushroom-shaped handle, the cutting end being sharpened into something of the form of a lozenge. This is called a “ burin ” or graver, and in practice it does its work in much the same manner as a plough, turning up a shaving from the highly polished plate as it is pushed along. In the eighteenth century engraving was some- what international in character, certain French engravers paying visits to England as well as pursuing their art studies in Italy. On the other hand, Sir Robert Strange worked under the celebrated Le Bas in Paris, and from this great master of the graver's art the eminent FRENCH PRINTS 79 Scotchman learned the use of the dry point. It may not be generally known that, when an officer in the Jacobite Army, he actually etched plates for bank-notes wherewith to pay the Pretender’s troops. The great French engravers were not by any means mechanical interpreters of the designs which they reproduced. Many of these were but sketches of an unfinished character, a great deal being left to the initiative of the engraver, who, as a rule, possessed talents rendering him something more than a mere copyist upon copper. A number of these men were real artists, who, from some slight indication of an idea, would produce a finished picture in which figures, costumes, and surroundings were rendered with a precision and grace not to be discerned in the original study. Moreau le jeune, it is true, left little to the initiative of those who engraved his designs ; but other artists, like Fragonard, seem often to have hastily dashed off some idea, the complete realisation of which was only drawn upon copper. The best work of the French engravers was, almost without exception, executed in the twilight of the old French monarchy, termin- ating long before the decadence of the English mezzotint, which continued to flourish till the introduction of the steel plate about 1820. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the engraver in France had already sunk to the level of a mere artisan whose remuneration was based upon strictly commercial lines. Under these conditions his source of inspiration soon 8o FRENCH PRINTS ran dry, and men who had formerly exhibited high artistic talents found themselves obliged to turn their hands to anything likely to furnish the wherewithal to live. From time to time there has been a great variation in opinion as to the relative merits of the pure etching as compared with the proof before all letters. When eighteenth-century prints once more came into fashion in France between i860 and 1870, proofs were the more eagerly sought of the two, but towards the late ’seventies a reaction took place in favour of the pure etching. Latterly, however, the proof has again come into the highest favour, certainly not without good reason, for it is undoubtedly the most satisfactory of all the states, the pure etching having only the charm of absolute freshness and great rarity. As a rule, eighteenth-century French prints were struck off in four states, according to the classification which follows : — 1. Pure etching. 2. Finished proof before letters, having only the name of the artist and the engraver. 3. With the arms, title, and names of the artists. 4. With the arms, dedication, and all letters. In certain cases, additional states exist, but the majority of French engravings have two or three states at most. For the sake of convenience the French system of including the pure etching as a state has been adopted in these pages, though as a matter of fact there are in all probability but few pure etchings La Toilkttk By Ponce, after Baudouin From an Original Impression in the possession of G. Campbell , Esq . Plate XV FRENCH PRINTS 8 1 of French eighteenth-century engravings in this country, where even the proofs before letters seldom come in the collector’s way. In the detailed description of prints any additional states of exceptional interest have, where possible, been carefully noted. Beneath the greater number of French line engravings there is some decorative design. This not infrequently frames the coat of arms belonging to the person to whom the print is dedicated. Occasionally the coat of arms is replaced by some fanciful little composition. A notable example is that underneath “ Les Hasards heureux de l’escarpolette ” (engraved by De Launay), where a dainty Cupid is shown writing the initials H. F. in fire above some admirably grouped attributes of the painter’s art . 1 This is called the Jieuron , which in the case of the “ Escar- polette ” is the work of Choffard, that master of minute engraving, whose signature it bears. Sometimes also French prints are embellished by the addition of ornamental borders. A case in point is “La Toilette,” by Nicolas Ponce, after Baudouin, which, together with its pendant “ Le Lever,” was furnished with an ornate border the work of Cochin. Certain engravings, more especially portraits, have a tablet on which is the name and some- times the dedication. In the case of proofs this is left blank, when it is known as la tablette blanche . A large number of the finest French engrav- 1 This jieuron is reproduced oil the title-page of the present volume. G 82 FRENCH PRINTS ings have A.P.D.R. under the inscription. This, of course, signifies “ Avec Privilege du Roi ” ; and many collectors especially prefer prints marked in such a way, erroneously believing that the letters in question are not to be found on the last states, struck when the plate has been somewhat worn out. Such an idea, however, has no foundation, a great number of engravings having A.P.D.R. upon them in their very latest state. Certain French engravers were in the habit of occasionally using an anagram in the place of their ordinary signature. The following are the principal of these : — C. C. Balvay — Bervic. Bonnet — Tennob and L. Marin. Le Campion — Noipmacel. Huet — Teuh. N. Le Mire — Erimeln. t- j ( Denargle, Legrand - t urcy and D r urcy. Mari age — Egairam. Naudet — Teduan. Ponce — Nopec. When collecting prints it will never be found a bad plan to reject ruthlessly any impressions which, though apparently genuine, have some- thing about them which is not entirely satis- factory. The mere fact of an engraving producing an idea of doubt should be enough to cause the discerning collector to cease to consider it, the suspicion which has been FRENCH PRINTS 83 aroused being more often than not based upon some sufficient grounds. Not infrequently a print of this kind has been repaired or injudici- ously manipulated, with a view to causing it to appear in a rarer state. The best course, as has been said, is to run no risk whatever, remembering that there is never smoke without fire. In these days, indeed, the very greatest care should be exercised in the selection of engravings, which only too often are most in- geniously supplied with new margins, within the borders of which cut prints have been cleverly inserted. On the other hand, when purchasing French engravings not as a collector but purely for decorative purposes, there is little harm in buy- ing prints whose margins have been cut away. Judiciously mounted and framed, such impres- sions continue to convey much the same graceful effect as in their original condition. It need, however, hardly be said that any encroachment upon the limit of the plate itself renders a print practically valueless. An engraving in an ideal state should show the clear-cut marks of the ct burin,” whilst black and white must contrast brilliantly with one another. Particular importance, also, should be attached to the little dashes fading away into dots with which the old French engravers terminated their lines. Occasionally the margins of engravings show certain rough marks. These, though not at all decorative, are very valuable indications of an early state, being indeed experimental essays of FRENCH PRINTS 84 the engraver whilst engaged upon his work. When once this was completed, the marks in question were naturally obliterated, and, in consequence, prints with marked margins are generally very fine early impressions. It may be added that it was the custom amongst French engravers of the eighteenth century to soak the paper which they were about to use in water containing a small quantity of alum, the reason of such an operation being the increased brilliancy which it was supposed to impart to the impression. As a rule they preferred red rather than yellow copper tor their plates, the former, though rather softer, being said to furnish better results. Authentic eighteenth-century French prints are all upon old rough paper. It need scarcely be said that no impressions printed upon India paper are genuinely old. Curiously enough, the watermarks so often to be found in the paper used in the seventeenth century, do not, except in very rare instances, occur in that of the eighteenth. A certain number of eighteenth - century copper-plates still exist in France, and are utilised at the present day. Modern impressions, how- ever, are of no real value, the plates being worn and, as it were, tired out. Prints of this sort should be easily recognised, their somewhat blurred and feeble lines producing an effect totally lacking in that brilliancy so perceptible in a really good impression. As a rule, modern engravings struck off old plates have another name in addition to the signature visible on FRENCH PRINTS 85 those printed in the eighteenth century. In certain cases, also, the plates have been retouched, with the result that a certain variation of detail is to be discerned. A copper-plate from which many impressions have been taken becomes completely worn out, and, in consequence, prints struck off at the present day from old plates are faint and unsatisfactory in the extreme. In many cases old plates have been re-engraved with quite a different subject. Such was the fate of the original copper-plate on which De Launay had engraved “ Les Hasards heureux de fescar- polette.” This was obliterated about 1834, in order that a study after David might take its place. A great number of beautiful old plates were destroyed about this time in order to make way for the horrible compositions in favour from about 1830 to 1845. At the “ Chalcographie ” of the Louvre are preserved a certain number of old plates from which impressions are still struck and sold to the public at very moderate prices. These, however, are almost entirely historical in character, some of them, after Cochin Jils^ being rather in the style of the seventeenth century. Such prints as these are totally different in design and conception from the estampes galantes so essentially attractive to the eye. A large number of pretty French engravings exist in modern reproduction, which, unfortun- ately, is sometimes utilised for more or less fraudulent purposes. Some of these reproduc- tions are attractive enough, and, to those un- able to afford the original prints, not entirely 86 FRENCH PRINTS unsatisfactory, conveying as they do a good deal of the charm and originality of the eighteenth- century design. When reproductions are frankly sold as such there is little to be said against them ; but it should always be kept in mind that such things as these are really of no value at all, the output, owing to modern processes, being absolutely unlimited. As a rule, the coloured reproductions are far less satisfactory than those in black and white, some of which have been very carefully done by men of considerable artistic knowledge. The best work in this line has been done by MM. Magnier, Gosselin, and Henri Lemoine, who affix their names with the excellent intention of preventing these modern copies, some of which are admirable, from being passed off as genuine old impressions. Un- scrupulous vendors, however, have not hesitated to obliterate their signatures or to cut away the margin, afterwards submitting the print to a careful manipulation calculated to impart the appearance of antiquity. Great caution is therefore necessarv in the purchase of a rare engraving from any quarter not entirely above suspicion. A practised eve should, of course, be easily able to detect copies, especially when printed in colours ; but some of these, printed upon old paper, arc so cleverly executed that even experts have been deceived. When buying an expensive coloured print it is by no means a bad plan to compare it with an example the genuineness of which is absolutely above suspicion — such a comparison doing away with FRENCH PRINTS 87 all chance of deception. This, of course, is not necessary where the vendor is a dealer of known reputation, good printsellers being, as a rule, very scrupulous and careful in such matters. It should always be realised that a few fine impressions of first-class prints constitute a far greater source of artistic and cultured pleasure than a large number of indifferent engravings which have been picked up at small prices owing to their imperfect condition. It is better to possess one really first-class example than a hundred lacking in all the qualifications which appeal to those of taste and judgment. The best method of training the eye is never to lose an opportunity of inspecting as many prints as possible. Looking through dealers’ portfolios, attendance at sales, and even casual glances in the windows of old print shops can do nothing but good, imparting as they do a familiarity with the whole subject which can only be obtained by some sort of personal experience. After a short time the best engravings become old friends, whilst those devoid of merit are regarded with the in- difference which they deserve. Almost uncon- sciously the various states are implanted upon the memory, whilst most of the numerous copies and reproductions are instinctively rejected without a moment’s hesitation. When buying French prints, great care should be taken not to purchase coloured copies of engravings which in their authentic state are only to be found uncoloured. A conspicuous example of this is “ Le Coucher de la mariee,” 88 FRENCH PRINTS of which coloured reproductions abound. At the time when this beautiful engraving was published, no coloured impressions whatever were produced. In 1820, however, a smaller 44 Coucher de la mariee ” in colour was issued bv Begat, rue de la Croix, No. 2. This may always be recognised by the inscription beneath, which begins, 44 La jeune Mariee hesite a se coucher.” Another engraving of which no original impressions exist in colour is 44 Les Hasards heureux de l’escarpolette,” whilst 44 Le Bal pare ” and 44 Le Concert,” though reproduced in colours within recent years, were originally issued solely in an uncoloured condition. On the other hand, coloured impressions were struck “ Ma Chemise brule,” 44 La bonne Mire,** and 44 Le Baiser a la dcrobee,” all three alter Fragonard. It will be needless to say that, almost with- out exception, no original impressions were ever struck upon satin. Several modern repro- ductions, however, have been produced in this style, notably 44 L’Amour ” and 44 La Folie,” excel- lent recent interpretations of which have been published by M. Henri Lemoine. A framed print should never be purchased without a close inspection out of its frame. At the present time, engravings are so cleverly doctored and restored, that a casual glance through a glass is no reliable guide, even to a skilled collector. Besides this, it is very neces- sary to examine the reverse side of an engraving, likely to display marks or notes of interest. Very often initials or monograms are to be found, Lb; Couchb;r de la marie'e Etched by Moreau le Jeune, finished by Simonet, after Baudouin 1JC COJJCHE Q.s'{ Lreix z'C-aui- — d Cl r nun id ~ Charle S) Co/n ! /' d hautc/or ! , . ) 1 1 (!(’ ( \ Hc/br- de ( am f > du d/\ n/mv'nl Plate XV] FRENCH PRINTS 89 giving a clue to a former possessor, perhaps a collector of some note. The interest of an engraving is certainly enhanced by a sure indication that it has formerly been in some well-known collection. The following are some of the best -known marks used by celebrated connoisseurs whose taste in engravings was above criticism Behague — an O surmounted by the coronet of a count. Bayard — C.B. in a circle. Didot — A.F.D. framed in a frieze. Miihlbacher— G.B. in the centre of a circle. There are, of course, many additional marks, but those given are amongst the most important. A collection of French prints, containing the engravings which are most representative of the eighteenth-century school, would include : — 44 Les Hasards heureux de Fescarpolette,” 44 Le Carquois epuise,” 44 Le Billet doux,” and 44 Qu’en dit Fabbe?” by N. de Launay; 44 Le Coucher de la mariee,” by Moreau and Simonet ; 44 Les deux Baisers,” 44 Le Menuet de la mariee,” 44 La Noce au chateau,” and 44 La Promenade publique,” by Debucourt ; 44 Comptez sur mes serments ” and 44 Au moins soyez discret,” by Augustin de St- Aubin ; 44 L’Enlevement nocturne,” by Ponce ; 44 L’Assemblee au concert ” and 44 L’Assemblee au salon,” by Dequevauviller ; 44 L’Innocence en danger,”* by Caquet ; 44 La Noce de village ” and 44 La Foire de village,” by Descourtis ; 44 Le Bal pare ” and 44 Le Concert,” by Duclos ; 44 Le Serment de Louis XVI. a son sacre a Rheims,” by Moreau ; 44 Vue de la plaine des Sablons,” by 9 ° FRENCH PRINTS Malbeste, Lienard, and Nee ; “ L'Amour,” “ La Folie,” and “ L’Indiscretion,” by Janinet ; “ Le Depart du courrier,” “ L’Arrivee du cour- rier,” and “ Madame du Barry,” by Beauvarlet ; “ La Philosophic endormie,” by Aliamet ; “ Le Roman dangereux,” by Helman ; “ La Soiree des Tuileries,” by Simonet ; “ La Marche incroy- able,” by Bonnefoy, and some plates from “ Le Monument du costume.” It variety is desired, a tew of the pastel and chalk facsimiles by Bonnet and Demarteau might be added, whilst among portraits the splendid colour-print of Marie Antoinette by Janinet should not be torgotten. Such a collection, comprising as it does the masterpieces ot the various engravers, would naturally cost a good deal of money to get together, especially did it consist of prints in the proof state, certain ot which, such as the early impressions ot “ Le Coucher de la mariee,” are worth very considerable sums. A persevering and careful collector, however, might reasonably hope to acquire satisfactory impressions ot these prints, provided he should be content with examples with cut margins, such as are sometimes to be picked up at sales tor a very moderate figure. Occasionally a good French engraving is discovered hidden away in the portfolio of some dealer who does not usually sell this sort of print, in which case it can otten be purchased for a reasonable price. A collection of the engravings detailed above, even in their last states, cannot fail to constitute a source of pleasure. In course of time it can be FRENCH PRINTS 9 1 carefully weeded out, good impressions gradually taking the place of cut or doubtful examples, which, with the increase of experience, have ceased to satisfy their owner. A collection of the complete works of Moreau le jeune, abounding as they do in accuracy of observation and correctness of detail, and char- acterised by marvellous originality untrammelled by convention or inartistic restraint, would form an almost perfect epitome and survey of the ancien regime. Whilst, however, much of Moreau’s work is eminently decorative, there are a number of prints after his designs which are not adapted for purposes of ordinary display. Of this kind are the historical “ Bal masque ” and “ Festin royal,” the small figures of which are hardly to be appreciated unless under close inspection. The most satisfactory collection is one thoroughly representative of the various styles of French prints, including most of those mentioned in the list given above. Collectors not infrequently make a point of devoting their energies to the acquisition of the complete works of one man, a series of fine impressions showing the variations in his style. Such a form of collecting, however, necessitates a number of portfolios, many interesting prints being quite unsuitable for framed display. The number of French eighteenth-century colour-prints which deserve serious attention is by no means extraordinarily large. Janinet, Debucourt, Descourtis, and one or two others, amongst whom one may perhaps include Desrais, 92 FRENCH PRINTS were the principal masters of this art, which in French hands acquired a daintiness and delicacy of tone quite different from anything produced elsewhere. Blue in various shades may be called the predominant colour which lightly tinges most of these compositions — a blue which is never assertive or glaring, but, on the contrary, fades gently away, as a cloud dissolves into rain. Amongst coloured prints, those after Debu- court, Janinet, and Huet are the most highly esteemed. The French engravers in colours used sometimes to employ a number of separate plates, each one bearing a different colour. These were adjusted to the engraving by what are known as “ points de repere ,” the marks of which may still, in some cases, be found on margins. A great deal of practised skill had to be employed in order to give a general harmonious effect, in the production of which Debucourt, who some- times used as many as five plates, stands almost unrivalled. The best method of assuring the absolute genuineness of a colour-print is by comparing it with an impression above all suspicion ; when this is not feasible any print which arouses the least suspicion should be rigorously rejected. Colouring which, no matter how faintly, over- laps the lines is a sure indication of worthlessness ; the extreme clearness of old French colour-prints is one of their principal features, and the slightest signs of blurring or hesitation indicate either a copy or a damaged example touched up by hand. The work of Janinet and Debucourt is almost invariably characterised by their peculiar opal- FRENCH PRINTS 93 escent tints and a tonality which absolutely defies successful reproduction. The extreme limpidity of the colouring which Debucourt imparted to his plates is especially marked. With regard to the work of Janinet, certain prints bearing his name are occasionally found to differ in their colouring, though evidently printed from the same plate. This is not necessarily a proof of a spurious impression, for such a print may have been but an experimental state, struck off to ascertain the tints most suitable for final adop- tion. Sometimes also, after a certain number of copies had been produced, a further supply of colouring had to be prepared for application to the plate, considerable difference in the appearance of the subsequent impressions being the result. The ambition of the eighteenth -century colour printers was to produce a reproduction which should faithfully show the original tones of the painting that inspired their work, and which should almost be calculated to deceive even an expert’s eye for a moment. Certain facsimiles of the sketches of Boucher are certainly successful in this direction, though for the most part not very suitable for the purposes of decoration. Between coloured engravings and engravings in colour there exists a real difference, though both terms are usually applied to any print which shows different colours. Coloured engravings are produced by one plate only, which has been prepared with a view to a single impression. On the other hand, engravings in colour are the 94 FRENCH PRINTS result of two or three plates successively applied, each bearing a particular colour. In some cases as many as five plates were employed, notably by Debucourt, many of whose prints were published by Chapuy and HI i n, whose address was No. 17, Place Maubert, and No. 18, rue des Noyers. This firm was well known for its very remarkable colour - prints, and from its workshop issued a great number of the beautiful engravings which are sold tor such large sums at the present day. As regards financial value, the estampe galante triumphs easily over all other French engravings, a large number of which hardly obtain a passing glance from the collector. O m jm Historical prints, though otten ot consider- able interest, do not as a rule command any large price compared with such engravings as “ Les Hasards heureux de Pescarpolette, “ Le Coucher de la marice,” and the like. Towards the middle ot the last century, in the thirties and forties, the estampe galante tor a time fell into disrepute, horrible classical composi- tions being the rage. At that time it is said that some of the printsellers in Paris used to sell “La Promenade publique, ’’ alter Debucourt, for five francs, purchasers having the option of choosing it either before or with the letters. As the colour- print in question is of considerable size, people would often pay five Irancs in order to have some- thing in which to envelop their other purchases. It may be added that “ La Promenade publique ” in the proof state is now worth some couple of hundred pounds ! FRENCH PRINTS 95 In the ’thirties an enormous number of beautiful copper-plates were destroyed. Amongst these was that of “ Les Hasards heureux de l’escarpolette,” which was obliterated in 1834, in order to make way for some study after David. Taste was then at its lowest point, and many wonders of the engraver’s art must have perished. Since those days, however, the estampe galante has once more regained its rightful position, and now reigns supreme, the high estimation in which it is now held constituting a complete revenge for years of unmerited disdain. The most valuable French engravings are those after Baudouin, Lavreince, Fragonard, Moreau, St-Aubin, Taunay, and others of the same school. Colour-engravings by and after Debucourt, that is, those executed in his pre- revolutionary manner, never fail to fetch large sums. On the other hand, prints after Boucher, Lancret, Watteau, Pater, Chardin, and other great painters of their day are, with certain well- known exceptions, not held to be of any great account. The work of these great painters is for the most part lacking in certain almost indefin- able qualities which render the designs of other far less talented men especially suitable for reproduction. The most pleasing engravings represent some little incident or episode of daily life, as a rule hardly suited to the brush of a really great painter, whose very breadth of style it would be almost impossible to render in a print. With the exception of some seventeen en- FRENCH PRINTS 96 gravings, Lancret is not very popular with col- lectors, whilst only about twenty prints after Watteau, including, of course, the charming 46 L’Enseigne,” are in request. The complete works ot this painter, however, in four volumes, are ot considerable value, a set of 238 plates, singularly brilliant impressions, having recently been sold at auction in London for £595. Little alter Pater is of serious account, whilst most engravings after Chardin also possess merely secondary interest. J Out of the enormous number of prints alter Boucher only a comparatively small number attract the collector. A few, however, by Demarteau and Bonnet are of some importance. 44 Le Depart du courrier ” and 44 LArrivee du courrier,” by Beauvarlet, are also very attractive and charming prints. Nevertheless the especial style adopted by Boucher is not one which makes any direct appeal to the collector, who, as a rule, has little partiality lor mythological subjects and rustic scenes. Another reason is that the charm ol Boucher lies a great deal in his colouring, which cannot be adequately rendered in a print. 44 L’Amour rendant hommage a sa mere,” in colour, bv Janinct, is, however, very rare, whilst 44 La Toilette de Venus,” 1783, also in colour by the same engraver, commands a large price in the state in which three and not two Loves appear. Other valuable prints after the painters mentioned above are 44 LEmbarquement pour Cythere,” after Watteau ; 44 Le Desir de plaire,” after Pater ; 44 Les quatre Saisons ” and 44 Le Repas La Rencontre au Bois de Boulogne From “ Le Monument du costume ” From a Proof in the possession oj W alter Burns , Esq. Plate XVII FRENCH PRINTS 97 italien,” after Lancret, together with some others of a similar kind. Within recent years prints after Lancret, though not as a rule valuable, have somewhat increased in price. Though it is impossible to become a discern- ing collector merely by reading books, much is to be learnt from the admirable works on eighteenth - century engravings published in France, such as Les Graveurs du dix - huitieme siecle (three large volumes admirably written by Baron Roger Portalis and M. Henri Beraldi), which besides enumerating the vast majority of French prints, also contains a mine of interest- ing information concerning the old engravers and their work. Another excellent book dealing with the same subject has been written by M. Gustave Bourcard, who has placed his wealth of knowledge at the service of the amateur. Mr. Frederick Wedmore, who, in the days — -some twenty years ago— when the work of Moreau was little known in this country, sounded a note of appreciation which has since been universally echoed, has on occasion turned his attention to French prints, needless to say deal- ing very admirably with the subject ; and some other English critics have also occasionally ventured into this quarter of the collectors’ domain. For the most part, however, these have entirely failed to perceive the high estima- tion in which the estampe galante is held in the France of to-day. Somewhat contemptuously brushing aside the beautiful, if frivolous, prints after Lavreince, Baudouin, Fragonard, and others, they almost invariably turn to the engravings H FRENCH PRINTS 98 of a more austere type, which, though of great interest to the student, are not very pleasing to the eye. The most desirable kind of French engraving, and the one held in highest apprecia- tion in France, is that reconstituting some scene of daily life as it was lived when all French society seems to have concentrated its energies upon graceful pleasure and amusement. It is hardly necessary to say that frames should be chosen with due regard to the prints which they are to contain. Those calculated to set off these old engravings to the best advantage are of Louis XVI. design, the gilding of which is of a peculiar shade of dull gold, which is difficult to obtain elsewhere than in France. A well-designed garland or trophy at the top of the frame has a very ornamental efFect, but care should be taken that no pendant wreaths are allowed to obscure a perfectly free view of the engraving which they surmount. The details of some of the smaller French prints are of such a slight and delicate nature as to be best suited by frames which are somewhat simple in design. A twisted ribbon pattern, devoid of any further ornament, is best adapted for these. Prints which have no margins should be placed within well-chosen French mounts, which can be obtained in various colours. These are relieved by lines of gold which produce a very pleasing and agreeable effect. The mounts ordinarily to be met with in England are quite unsuited to the estampe galante, the attractions of which are in no way enhanced by being sur- FRENCH PRINTS 99 rounded by a layer of thick cardboard of care- lessly chosen hue. Certain of these mounts, it is true, are imita- tions at a considerable distance of the pretty passe-partouts to which reference has before been made. The whole sense of colouring and of lines is, however, different, and, as a rule, quite fails to convey the dainty effect which is produced by those copied from old French examples. An engraving having a large margin should, of course, never be placed in a mount at all, the main purpose of the latter being to supply the lack of that which should by no means be covered up. The question of the exact indication of the artistic value of prints as conveyed by their price is a somewhat difficult one to decide. Whilst certain engravings undoubtedly com- mand sums out of all proportion to their real artistic merit, the fact that collectors exist who are ready to pay a high figure for certain early impressions clearly indicates that such states are rare and worthy of attention. Many collectors, also, are fine judges of beautiful things and eagerly purchase attractive engravings, with the result that such few as remain in the market acquire a somewhat fictitious value. The whole matter is one of supply and demand, as well as of personal inclination to possess what the fashion of the moment decrees to be best. It must not be forgotten, however, that at the present time French engravings of the eighteenth century have been very carefully classified according to I 00 FRENCH PRINTS their merits, with the result that most collectors are fully alive to the exact degree of artistic excellence of the various engravings which they either seek or reject. For this reason price as a rule does bear some relation to real worth. At the same time it must be added that the ex- aggerated figures at which certain almost unique states are quoted are obviously fanciful and absurd. The prices of engravings seldom maintain the same level for many consecutive years, unfavour- able circumstances at sales or carelessness on the part of collectors frequently causing them to fall, whilst, on the other hand, a sudden craze may produce a rise of quite an extravagant nature. From all present indications, French prints of the eighteenth century would seem likely to attain a greatly enhanced value with the passage of years ; at any rate those of real artistic worth will almost certainly not prove bad investments for those who acquire them. A number of en- gravings which, merely by reason of their exces- sive raritv, now command prices little short of ridiculous, will no doubt once more be valued at a more reasonable figure ; but the beautiful estampe gal ante , it may confidently be affirmed, will maintain its position. Exhaling the very spirit of the ancien regime , its charms must ever appeal to all lovers of daintiness and grace ; whilst at the same time, owing to its accurate delineations of architecture and costume, it is certain to retain an undying interest for the student of a vanished age. IV DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FRENCH ENGRAVINGS EXECUTED IN THE XVIIIth CENTURY TOGETHER WITH NOTES ON THEIR VARIOUS STATES IOI NOTE For the purposes of convenience the engravings have been classified according to the names of the artists and designers of the originals from which they were taken. Where not specially described the states are as set forth on page 80. In cases where the artist and engraver are the same individual, no mention is made of an engraver’s name. When, however, prints have been executed by any one else the name is given. The relative merits of the various engravings have, as far as possible, been indicated, every important print being noted, and in most cases described. Where not otherwise specified the engravings arc in line. It must not be forgotten that in the eighteenth century spelling was more clastic than it is now, and that consequently many small variations arc to be found in the spelling of the names alike of artists, engravers, and prints. In most cases, however, these differences arc not so great as to lead to confusion ; except in one or two instances, therefore, attention has not been directed to them in the present volume. A typical example is the name “ Lavrcince,” which is found spelt in about a dozen different ways, the most common variation being “ Lavcrcincc.” The auction prices given were in the majority of instances realised by impressions of extreme perfection or scarcity. 10.2 L. AUBERT i73i- l 8i4 La Revendeuse a la toilette. Le Billet doux. Le Dessin. — By Claude Dujlos. Prints of no particular importance. Etienne aubry 1745-17 81 L’heureuse Nouvelle.— By J. B. Simonet , 1777. Three states. L’Abus de la credulite. — By N. de Launay. An attractive oval within a square, of which modern im- pressions exist. Three states. La Bonte maternelle. — By Blot. Two states. La Correction maternelle. — By de Longueil. Three states. The plate of this engraving still exists. Les Adieux de la nourrice. — By R. de Launay. Three states. A pretty print of which modern impressions are frequently met with. La Bergere des Alpes. — By J. J. Leveau. Le Manage conclu. Le Manage rompu. La Recon- naissance de Fonrose. — By R. de Launay. 103 BAUDOUIN 1 04 L’heureux Menage. L’Amour paternel. Les Amants curieux . — By Levasseur. The last three are of little value. PIERRE ANTOINE BAUDOUIN 1 7 2 3 — 1 769 (1) Marton, ou la jeune Bouquetiere. — By N. Ponce , 1 776. See Plate VIII. Two states, in the first of which there are no verses on the tablet. A beautiful and scarce engraving of some value, the proof state being worth about 1000 francs. (2) Perrette, ou la jeune Laitiere. — By II. Guttenberg , 1776. Three states. (3) Jusque dans la moindre chose. — By Masquelier. Four states. (4) Sa taille est ravissante. — By Lebeau , 1776. Four states. A coloured version of this print also exists. “Marton” is by far the prettiest of this charming set. “ Roxclane,” engraved by Lebeau after Dugoure, is sometimes added as a pendant to this. Le Coucher de la mariee. Etched by Moreau le jeune and finished by J. P. Simone t. See Plate XVI. This delightful engraving, perhaps the most charming of all estampts galantes , represents a young bride with her husband and mother, three maids being in attendance. I he room is of the most splendid kind, its decoration completing the artistic ensemble of this delicately-balanced composition. Several states : 1. Pure etching. 2. Before all letters (very valuable and rare). 3. Before all letters but with the arms. 4. With dedication and arms. m? - *' • • & ® * v- , . :..- m %:*H':'*V. r'-' ;.*.''.v Vv/ C '’ v' ; : mmw '■■ ? VltVjSfa-* 1 1 Si |k{§l .■ ;$** .* £> ■SS&S&i&ts *~“5S l^ 1 ^ ' jfty-.J . ., % ■BUS -. a 3 :«» usS&m gfeppflp feSi sol skk S&l aMicuf ble d trej aliU’ML JlltUiLui/t ^v. J unor\et sculp firs /Jfi.r.oi el JblQiUUlt et JL'Ul Scrpertie dlEsfeunp. La Soiree des Tuileries By Simonet, after Baudouin. Plate XVIII BAUDOUIN I0 5 There exist also other states which are so rare that they never come into the market. One of these pure etchings bears underneath the remark, probably from the hand of Moreau le jeune, u On a tire 24 epreuves de cette eau forte.” The pendant to u Le Coucher de la Mariee” is cc Le Lever de la Mariee,” a print of some value by Triere, after Dugoure. A smaller coloured copy of the u Coucher” was published in Paris about 1820, u chez Begat, rue de la Croix no. 2.” The original u Coucher ” is never found in a coloured state ; modern reproductions, however, abound. Three very early impressions of this print were recently sold by auction in Paris for about £ 500 . They had previously been put up separately, when the pure etching by Moreau le jeune, untouched by Simonet, fetched ^100 ; the proof before all letters, differing in certain details from the finished engraving, ^250; and the finished proof before letters, ^150. (1) Le Carquois epuise. — By N. de Launay. See Plates VII., XX. (2) Les Soins tardifs. — By the Same. The first of these engravings is yearly rising in value, and should never be overlooked when in o-ood condition. O Though but three states are usually to be met with, very rare additional states exist. In one of these the quiver held by the statue of Cupid is replaced by a bunch of roses. In another the quiver is not reversed. In its first state the ornamental border beneath the engraving is totally different from that existing in the later states. This is shown by the illustrations given at pages 30 and 108. There are good modern reproductions. The pendant, u Les Soins tardifs,” representing a scene of rustic love-making, is not nearly as attractive or valuable as a Le Carquois epuise.” Three states. (1) La Soiree des Tuileries. — By Simonet. See Plate XVIII. (2) Rose et Colas. — By the Same. Four states each. w La Soiree des Tuileries ” is incomparably superior to its pendant, being indeed one of the most pleasing of French prints. tl Rose et Colas,” though pretty, is more io6 BAUDOUIN ordinary in style, and, in consequence, less valuable than u La Soiree des Tuileries,” of which, it may be added, two gouaches still exist. am:t) tia/wru^. , L 1- ,>W/ & Commander/ 1 1- ¥ 1Paru eA