Featured Another 18th C engraving with lots of siggys

I have this 1786 Engraving of Perseus and Andromeda by Jean-Louis Delignon after Titian

I don’t know the source of this image. All the work seems to be on a single plate, but more than one person was involved.





Many prints give the name of an engraver and the originator of the image. On this engraving, the central image was engraved by Jean-Louis Delignon (1755 – c1804) after a painting by Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) (c1485/90? – 1576), but there is also a credit for Antoine Borel (1743 – after 1810).

My understanding is that Borel made the intermediate drawing from which Delignon (Delignon’s atelier?) worked. Again my understanding is that the intermediary drawing was a mirror image of the Titian Painting rendered in black and white to give the engraver tonal values without color, and reversed so that the finished plate printed the picture correctly oriented.







The text under the picture is not typeset. It is hand-engraved, and in this instance has the name of the specialist who did that work. Very little is known about that person, except that she was an engraved lettering specialist named Niquet L’Epine (active 1780s – ‘90s).



The armorial beneath the image has two pairs of initials. I do not know what these mean but suspect that they are the initials of the specialists who engraved the crest. And the titles.



As it appears that all the work was done on one plate, I wonder about the order in which the work was performed

 

Beautiful engravings MOS. Just to clarify-do you sell or just collect these graphic pieces ?
PS-What's infuriatingly odd about really old engravings is some are worth big or at least decent cash,and some other real beauties almost nothing. Have you learned how to evaluate value accurately ? Expensive or not- they are quite lovely.

 

I'm useless at valuations. I did collect, but my criteria was to buy the images I liked and could afford. I have a smattering from the 18th, a few earlier, a few from the 20th, nothing of great value. The bulk of what I have are steel plate engravings from the 19th century. Most are from books or illustrated magazines.

Steel plate engravings don't get much respect and are still fairly inexpensive. Wood engravings tend to be cheaper still, but they are relief prints (as opposed to intaglio) so could be printed in much lager numbers. I'm impressed by the technical skill of the engravers, and I'm a sucker for technique.

 

The technique these old engravers had is akin to the sublime craftsmanship the old Meiji Metal-smiths had in Japan-exquisite and almost mysticaly high skill level.

 

I know in these times, very rich people ordered books of engravings of their art collection. I’ll have a look around if I find a book with your engraving

 

This is the original anyway:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_and_Andromeda_(Titian)

 

Halfway the 18th century the original was in the collection of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans. He is the man who probably ordered the engraving.

 

Found it!

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/colle...da--5538c5615115d082963ce2dba96c63a0?tab=data

The Dutch description in the link says:

Explanatory note

• Onderdeel van een serie van 354 prenten naar schilderijen uit de collectie van de Hertog van Orléans, getiteld: La Galerie du Palais Royal, uitgebracht tussen 1786 en 1808. De serie werd uitgegeven door Jacques Couché die het project samen met Jacques Bouillard leidde.
  

Part of a series of 353 prints after paintings from the collection de the Duke of Orleans, titled La Galerie de Palais Royal (The Gallery of the Royal Palace), published between 1786 and 1808. The series was published by Jaques Couche who led the project together with Jacques Bouillard.

 

Good research, @Ex Libris ! I've updated my description. Interesting that even the Rijksmuseum doesn't note the name of the text engraver even though it's there.

 

I have several versions of Perseus and Andromeda. A hero, A naked woman in distress, A sea monster... what's not to like?

 

I wonder how the monster put those chains on her????????

very kinky ...