[Engraving]. [Copper dies]. CALLOT (Jacques) (after). [Lands - Lot 46

[Engraving]. [Copper dies]. CALLOT (Jacques) (after). [Landscapes for Gaston d'Orléans]. Set of 23 copper-engraved matrices. Very important and rare set. Although we know of a large number of copperplates engraved by or after Callot - almost all of which are preserved in the Musée Lorrain in Nancy - they almost never appear on the market. The copperplates have very small margins. Their dimensions vary, but two sets can be discerned, one of which is a little more "oblong" than the other: 15 plates measure around 8.5 x 17 cm, while the other 8 are around 9 x 15.5 cm. The subjects are landscapes, for the most part with buildings and figures, illustrating country life, sometimes by the sea or a river. Thirteen of these plates bear Callot's name, either in the composition or in the margin. All are the work of a skilled engraver, most probably based on original compositions or sketches by Callot, and Ternois speculates that they could be the work of Israël Silvestre or Israël Henriet. It should be noted, however, that Ternois's catalog mentions only 13 of the 23 plates in this series, 10 of which are unknown to him (Ternois, Jacques Callot : catalog..., 1961, p. 161 ff, and no. from 1277 onwards). We are most grateful to Mr. Maxime Préaud for the research he carried out on this set and for the conclusions he kindly shared with us.