18thC. THE RIDING SCHOOL after PHILIPS WOUWERMAN. Original Etching

Description: "THE RIDING SCHOOL" An open air riding school, with a man in the centre standing by a post, surrounded by horsemen. Figures and a carriage to the right, and children with dogs in the foreground. A house to the left, and an extensive landscape in the distance. A lovely composition, a very busy scene, so much to admire here. Etching, unsigned, after the painting by PHILIP WOUWERMANS in the Collection of the Duc de Choiseul. 1771. Inscribed in the caption area with its impressive typography and the coat-of-arms of the Duc de Choiseul. Size: 204 x 154 mm. (Platemark area) Condition/Technical: Very good - a lovely impression. No problems at all. Platemark line showing clearly, and good margins beyond. Well inked with good tonal contast. Printed on thick "laid" 18th century paper. Reference: British Museum 1847,0305.141 My penultimate photo shows the title page to the volume, just for further provenance. My last photo gives a general guide to how others price this lovely series. THE PATRON: Etienne-Francois, Duc de Choiseul (1719-1785). After a distinguished career in the French Army, he married the daughter of Crozat (himself a notable art collector) and thereby gained the patronage of Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV. He was made Ambassador to the Holy See in Rome, and subsequently became Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of War. After Pompadour's death in 1772 he fell from favour, was disgraced and went into exile. Throughout his life he amassed a huge art collection, mainly works of the Northern schools by the Dutch and Flemish Old Masters. Some of his collection was sold off in 1772, and the remainder was dispersed by further sale after his death. THE PROJECT: In around 1769-1770 Choiseul approached the leading art expert, engraver and publisher Pierre-Francois Basan, who had a large studio in Paris. The project was to engrave the Choiseul collection and to publish it in the form of a catalogue. This was to be a vast and prestigious project, we may surmise with no expense spared, and Basan put together a large team of accomplished engravers and draughtsmen to work on it, all under his personal supervision. These included Dunker, Masquelier, Jeanne Deny, Delvaux, J.P.Le Bas, Weisbrod, Baquoy, Daudet, De Launay, Levesque and others. The final result of this long project was the "Recueil d'estampes gravees d'apres les tableaux du Cabinet de Monseigneur le Duc de Choiseul" which appeared in 1772 - despite the title page bearing the date 1771. A total of 127 works were depicted, and although some of the attributions have changed in modern times (especially to the "Rembrandts") many of the paintings have vanished from public view, and so the prints made are an important part of the art historical record.There is of course an irony about all this - the project, so long in the planning and execution, was completed at a time which more or less coincided with Choiseul's fall from grace. ***ALL MY ITEMS ARE SENT, UK and worldwide, using Tracked service of Royal Mail, for everybody's peace of mind. I am also happy to combine shipping if there's more than one of my items that you wish to buy.

Price: 29.99 GBP

Location: Wadhurst

End Time: 2024-09-29T19:15:53.000Z

Shipping Cost: 15.77 GBP