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An engraving curiosity, c1760 book illustration
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<p>[QUOTE="moreotherstuff, post: 9463451, member: 56"]If anyone has any idea what the subject is, I'm open to suggestions.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]440734[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>It looks to me like a hero rescuing a damsel in distress? His gear - shield, helmet, lance - are off to the side; her clothes seem tattered? Maybe he has just slayed a dragon?</p><p>[ATTACH=full]440735[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The engraving is credited to Claude Olivier Gallimard (1718/19-1774) after a design by Michel-Françoise Dandré-Bardon (1700-1785). Both are known artists of the period, but they were hardly household names. A project like this would have been a big deal in terms of their careers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The thing is: the print is pre-titles. You can see at the bottom where space has been created for a title and dedication, but those have not yet been added. Although the authorship of a print is usually limited to a single name, it was common for multiple hands to take part in the engraving. The credited engraver was responsible for the principle image, but others would have been called on for things like borders and titles. Here the border is obviously present, as well as a cartouche for a coat of arms, but the space is blank.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]440736[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>There is an interesting inscription along the bottom edge of the sheet:</p><p>"fait pour Le Prospecteur D’un grand ouvrage qui n’a pas eu lieu"</p><p>[ATTACH=full]440737[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>This translates online as "made for the prospector of a large work that never took place". Assuming the person who wrote it knew what they were talking about, I take it to mean the print was produced for a prospectus. Someone had this project in mind, and they were looking for an investor to finance it. (The inscription suggests they didn't find one.) This print was produced to sell the idea, and it is pre-title because it was not yet known to whom it would be dedicated. The specialist who would have done the text had not yet been called upon. But someone took a hit on the work done to that point.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is a large print, the sheet measures 19-1/2” x 12-1/2”, and the image is about 13” x 8-1/2”. Illustrated books of that size were produced at that time, but it would have been a very expensive undertaking. I think of them as the coffee table books of their day.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="moreotherstuff, post: 9463451, member: 56"]If anyone has any idea what the subject is, I'm open to suggestions. [ATTACH=full]440734[/ATTACH] It looks to me like a hero rescuing a damsel in distress? His gear - shield, helmet, lance - are off to the side; her clothes seem tattered? Maybe he has just slayed a dragon? [ATTACH=full]440735[/ATTACH] The engraving is credited to Claude Olivier Gallimard (1718/19-1774) after a design by Michel-Françoise Dandré-Bardon (1700-1785). Both are known artists of the period, but they were hardly household names. A project like this would have been a big deal in terms of their careers. The thing is: the print is pre-titles. You can see at the bottom where space has been created for a title and dedication, but those have not yet been added. Although the authorship of a print is usually limited to a single name, it was common for multiple hands to take part in the engraving. The credited engraver was responsible for the principle image, but others would have been called on for things like borders and titles. Here the border is obviously present, as well as a cartouche for a coat of arms, but the space is blank. [ATTACH=full]440736[/ATTACH] There is an interesting inscription along the bottom edge of the sheet: "fait pour Le Prospecteur D’un grand ouvrage qui n’a pas eu lieu" [ATTACH=full]440737[/ATTACH] This translates online as "made for the prospector of a large work that never took place". Assuming the person who wrote it knew what they were talking about, I take it to mean the print was produced for a prospectus. Someone had this project in mind, and they were looking for an investor to finance it. (The inscription suggests they didn't find one.) This print was produced to sell the idea, and it is pre-title because it was not yet known to whom it would be dedicated. The specialist who would have done the text had not yet been called upon. But someone took a hit on the work done to that point. It is a large print, the sheet measures 19-1/2” x 12-1/2”, and the image is about 13” x 8-1/2”. Illustrated books of that size were produced at that time, but it would have been a very expensive undertaking. I think of them as the coffee table books of their day.[/QUOTE]
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