Lot #81: Pair Antique Hand-colored Etchings of French Palaces

Depictions of historic French palaces, long gone. The first is "The Palace of St. Cloud on the Side of the Orange Garden," which was burned down in 1870 during the Franco Prussian war. One year later, the palace in the second image, "A View of the Palace and Walks of the Thuilleries," was burned by the Paris Commune, a movement that grew from the French soldiers who had fought against the Prussian Army, and later destroyed in 1883. Both show pleasure seekers enjoying the beautiful grounds, under blue skies, oblivious to coming events. The artist, Jaques Rigaud, created many images of both French and British sites, and populated them with middle-class holidayers in a early example of direct marketing, as they were also the primary buyers of the reproductions of his work. Rigaud, 1680-1754, was a draftsman and engraver, active in France and England in the early 1700s. His masterwork, a series of 138 prints of French palaces, was eventually completed by his nephew, Jean-Baptiste Rigaud. "St Cloud" was engraved by Samuel Sparrow, and published by Laurie & Whittle engravers in May 1794; "The Thuilleries" was published by renamed James Whittle & R.H. Laurie in June 1818, engraver not credited except for a mark T & S in the print, lower right corner. These copperplate etchings have been hand colored, and were likely plates from books. Framed under glass in scrolled wood frames brushed with gilt. "Thuilleries" has some small areas of damage at bottom of print, as shown. Dimensions: 20"W X 12.5"h Pickup category timeslot {B}