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Large oil on canvas depicting a twilight view of a village with a stream in winter.

Stéphane Gilbert Fernand Caracotchian, known as Stéphane Cara, is a French post-Impressionist painter. Of Armenian father and French mother, he was born in Châtenois (Alsace) on July 3, 1901. The son of a prestigious doctor, his family moved to Paris in 1919. He worked for many years as a wine merchant and as an agent for the “Société Anonyme fluviale Trans-Cam” in Bordeaux, before dedicating himself fully to painting.

His initial artistic training was self-taught, his research is personal, with no foreign influence and he later trained with Armand Drouant (1898-1978) and André Lhote (1885-1962) in Paris.

Stéphane Cara worked in solitude for several years. This is perhaps one of the reasons why it is difficult to pin him down to a particular school or personality. For him, each subject is the fruit of a particular inspiration that calls for its own means of expression. Hence the diversity and renewal of Cara's style. By simplifying the motif, the drawing and the colour, he achieves a synthesis of coloured planes in which there seems to be nothing but perfectly ordered indications.

Exhibitions :

1944: Selected in Bordeaux, at the Salon des provinces françaises, finalist for Guyenne at the Musée Galliéra, Paris.

1944: Second Liburnia prize.

1945: First Liburnia prize.

Since 1946: Salon des Indépendants bordelais.

Since 1957, exhibits annually at the Salon de l'Art Libre in Paris.

1959: Second Cezanne prize at the "Trois prix Cézanne" competition in Cannes; 1960: Winner of the Deauville International Grand Prix.

1960: Execution of the stained glass windows for the altar of the Virgin, Église Sainte-Hélène, Nice.

He was the author of a book entitled (in French) “Painting in a Nutshell: or How to Judge a Painting” published in 1959. His sister Anita was the first woman oceanographer in the world.

After travelling extensively, settled in Nice in 1955, where he died) on May 16, 1962, at the age of 60.

Source: Archives de France.

Artist: Stéphane Cara (1901-1962).
Signed in the bottom right corner.
Medium: Oil on canvas.
Condition: Very good condition.
Dimensions: 92 x 74 cm. / 36 ¼ x 29 in.
Frame: Unframed.
Origin: France.

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This stunning painting features a beautiful landscape in the French countryside, showcasing the Sainte-Marie-de-Mazerat chapel located in the commune of Saint-Emilion (Gironde). The chapel holds historical significance as it was once part of a hermitage established by Cardinal François de Sourdis in 1615. Today, the only remains of the hermitage is the chapel, which is now part of the renowned wine-growing estate, Château l'Hermitage, known for producing a top-quality Saint-Emilion appellation wine. Created in the 1950s, this large format piece is signed by the artist in the lower right corner and is in very good condition with signs of craquelure (see photos).

Stéphane Gilbert Fernand Caracotchian, known as Stéphane Cara, is a French post-Impressionist painter. Of Armenian father and French mother, he was born in Châtenois (Alsace) on July 3, 1901. The son of a prestigious doctor, his family moved to Paris in 1919. He worked for many years as a wine merchant and as an agent for the “Société Anonyme fluviale Trans-Cam” in Bordeaux, before dedicating himself fully to painting.

His initial artistic training was self-taught, his research is personal, with no foreign influence and he later trained with Armand Drouant (1898-1978) and André Lhote (1885-1962) in Paris.

Stéphane Cara worked in solitude for several years. This is perhaps one of the reasons why it is difficult to pin him down to a particular school or personality. For him, each subject is the fruit of a particular inspiration that calls for its own means of expression. Hence the diversity and renewal of Cara's style. By simplifying the motif, the drawing and the colour, he achieves a synthesis of coloured planes in which there seems to be nothing but perfectly ordered indications.

Exhibitions :

1944: Selected in Bordeaux, at the Salon des provinces françaises, finalist for Guyenne at the Musée Galliéra, Paris.

1944: Second Liburnia prize.

1945: First Liburnia prize.

Since 1946: Salon des Indépendants bordelais.

Since 1957, exhibits annually at the Salon de l'Art Libre in Paris.

1959: Second Cezanne prize at the "Trois prix Cézanne" competition in Cannes; 1960: Winner of the Deauville International Grand Prix.

1960: Execution of the stained glass windows for the altar of the Virgin, Église Sainte-Hélène, Nice.

He was the author of a book entitled (in French) “Painting in a Nutshell: or How to Judge a Painting” published in 1959. His sister Anita was the first woman oceanographer in the world.

After travelling extensively, settled in Nice in 1955, where he died) on May 16, 1962, at the age of 60.

Source: Archives de France.

Artist: Stéphane Cara ( 1901-1962).
Signed in the lower right corner.
Medium: Oil on canvas.
Condition: Very good condition.
Dimensions: 65 x 92 cm. / 25 1/2 x 36 1/4 in.
Frame: Unframed.
Origin: France.

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This vintage painting showcases a beautiful still life of flowers in a vase. Executed in oil on canvas, the piece is in need of restoration and is signed by the artist Romw and dated to approximately 1930. 

Artist: Signed Romw.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Medium: Oil on canvas.
Condition: To be restored.
Dimensions: 46 x 38 cm. / 18 x 15 in. 
Origin: France.

Rowlandson & Pugin del. et sculpt. J. Bluck aquat. Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), prolific British artist, caricaturist and printmaker and accomplished French-born architectural draughtsman and printmaker Augustus Charles Pugin (1769-1832) combined their talents and jointly created the illustrations for The Microcosm of London (1808-1810) written by William Henry Pyne, published in London by Rudolf Ackermann in his “Ackermann’s Repository of Arts”, 100 Strand. The collection showcases the institutions, scenery, people and activities of cosmopolitan London at the turn of the 18th century. Pugin and Rowlandson worked collaboratively, with the former providing the architecture and the latter peopling the scenes with figures. The images were then etched by a number of talented engravers in Ackermann’s employ. Of the 104 plates in this three-volume publication, twenty-nine were engraved by Joseph Constantine Stadler (1780-1812), including this plate 81. It is dated 1st September, 1809 and was included in volume 3.

Sources: The Royal Collection Trust; National Portrait Gallery; Met Museum; Sir Stephen Leslie, Dictionary of National Biography, (Volume 47, 1885); Romantic London (blog).

Artists: Thomas Rowlandson / Augustus Charles Pugin / Joseph Constantine Stadler (aquatint).
Medium: Hand-coloured etching and aquatint.
Condition: Very good condition.
Dimensions: 23.5 x 27.3 cm. / 9 ¼ x 10 ¾ in. (view).
Frame: 36.2 x 40.5 cm. / 14 ¼ x 16 in. Wood, contemporary. Acid-free matting, glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

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Rowlandson & Pugin del. et sculpt. J. Bluck aquat. Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), prolific British artist, caricaturist and printmaker and accomplished French-born architectural draughtsman and printmaker Augustus Charles Pugin (1769-1832) combined their talents and jointly created the illustrations for The Microcosm of London (1808-1810) written by William Henry Pyne, published in London by Rudolf Ackermann in his “Ackermann’s Repository of Arts”, 100 Strand. The collection showcases the institutions, scenery, people and activities of cosmopolitan London at the turn of the 18th century. Pugin and Rowlandson worked collaboratively, with the former providing the architecture and the latter peopling the scenes with figures. The images were then etched by a number of talented engravers in Ackermann’s employ. Of the 104 plates in this three-volume publication, fifty-four were engraved by John Bluck (1791-1832), including this plate 15. It is dated 1st April, 1808 and was included in Volume 1.

Sources: The Royal Collection Trust; National Portrait Gallery; Met Museum; Sir Stephen Leslie, Dictionary of National Biography, (Volume 47, 1885); Romantic London (blog).

Artists: Thomas Rowlandson / Augustus Charles Pugin / John Bluck (aquatint).
Medium: Hand-coloured etching and aquatint.
Condition: Very good condition.
Dimensions: 23.5 x 26.7 cm. / 9 ¼ x 10 ½ in. (view).
Frame: 37.5 x 39.5 cm. / 14 ¾ x 15 ½ in. Wood, contemporary. Acid-free matting, glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

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This famous Rowlandson print entitled “An Italian Family”, represents a humble artistic Italian family practising opera. A young man stands in the centre of the image, singing energetically with his hands on his chest. Beside him to the right, an old man plays a baroque 4-string double bass. To the singer’s left, a man seated on the floor sings along while playing a harpsicord low to the ground and next to him on the far left a little boy plays the violin. On the far right, a young woman sits next to a fireplace with an infant in her lap; she holds up a cloth to dry, while singing over her shoulder. Her score, 'Affetuoso', is pinned to the mantlepiece in front of her. A greyhound sits at her side, appearing to partake in the singing. Several elements throughout the room further attest that we are viewing an Italian scene: a large macaroni bowl below the harpsicord on the far left, scattered wine bottles and an amphora to the right, a cross on the mantlepiece, Italian playbills, etc. This is part of a two-print companion series that included another print entitled: The French Family”. Below the image: “London, Pub. Dec. 1785 by S Alken. N°3 Dufours Place Broad Street Soho. Sold by W. Hinton N°5 Sweeting Alley Cornhill”.

Thomas Rowlandson (London, 13 July 1756 – 21 April 1827, London) was a prolific British artist, caricaturist and printmaker, noted for his political satire and social observation. He produced a wide variety of illustrations for novels, joke books, and topographical works. As a schoolboy at the school of Dr. Barvis in Soho Square he drew humorous characters of his master and class-mates before the age of ten. At 16, he was sent to Paris for two years, where he studied in a drawing academy and developed his skills drawing the human figure and caricature. On his return to London, he took classes at the Royal Academy. In 1775 he exhibited a drawing at the Royal Academy and two years later received a silver medal for a bas-relief figure. He was spoken of as a promising student. His drawing of Vauxhall, shown in the Royal Academy exhibition of 1784, had been engraved by Pollard, and the print was a success. Rowlandson was then largely employed by Rudolph Ackermann, the art publisher, where he illustrated many popular publications. Rowlandson died at home in London in 1827 after a prolonged illness. He was buried at St. Paul’s, Covent Garden.

Samuel Alken Sr. (London, 22 October 1756 – 9 November 1815, London) was an English artist, a leading exponent of the newly developed technique of aquatint. He entered the Royal Academy Schools, London, as a sculptor in 1772. He published A New Book of Ornaments Designed and Etched by Samuel Alken in 1779, and later established himself as one of the most competent engravers in the new technique of aquatint.

Sources: The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography; Encyclopedia Britannica; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Sherry, James (1978). "Distance and Humor; The Art of Thomas Rowlandson". Eighteenth-Century Studies.

Artists: Thomas Rowlandson / Samuel Alken (aquatint)
Medium: Hand-coloured etching and aquatint.
Condition: Very good condition.
Dimensions: 40 x 52 cm. / 15 ¾ x 20 ½ in. (View).
Frame: 56.2 x 66.5 cm. / 22 ¼ x 26 ¼ in. Gilt wood, contemporary classic. Matting and glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

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Hand-coloured print representing a chaotic scene in Hyde Park with soldiers practising shooting next to members of the public who are caught off-guard and try to flee. Horses rear up, a couple falls to the ground, another couple and their dog scatter to avoid being trampled. Inscribed in the plate: Drawn & Etch'd by T Rowlandson / Aquatint by T. Malton

It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses. A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business. Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humour. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his coarse subjects. He worked mainly in ink and watercolour, his rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art. In 1789, at the height of critical and popular success, Rowlandson's aunt died, leaving him a large sum. He ran through the money quickly, travelling across Europe and gambling: by 1793 he was impoverished. His fortunes changed in 1797, when he began working for fine-art publisher Rudolph Ackermann, who published most of Rowlandson's finest work for twenty years.

Thomas Malton, "the younger", was an English painter of topographical and architectural views, and an engraver. Works by Malton can be found in the UK Government art collection and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath, Somerset; the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia etc.

Sources: The J. Paul Getty Museum; Dictionary of National Biography; Wikipedia.

Artist/Etcher: Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827) / Aquatint: Thomas Malton the Younger (1748-1804).
Medium: Hand-coloured etching with aquatint.
Condition: Very good condition. Some light foxing.
Dimensions: 41.7 x 59 cm. / 16 ¼ x 23 ¼ in. (sheet).
Frame: 62 x 80 cm. / 24 ½ x 31 ½ in. Matting and glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

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A coloured print representing a lively crowd cheering on three scantily clad girls racing barefoot at a country fair. A fourth girl appears to have tripped over a dog left of centre. Musicians on stilts provide further entertainment on the far right of the image.

It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses. A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business. Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humour. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his coarse subjects. He worked mainly in ink and watercolour, his rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art. In 1789, at the height of critical and popular success, Rowlandson's aunt died, leaving him a large sum. He ran through the money quickly, travelling across Europe and gambling: by 1793 he was impoverished. His fortunes changed in 1797, when he began working for fine-art publisher Rudolph Ackermann, who published most of Rowlandson's finest work for twenty years.

Source: The J. Paul Getty Museum.

Artist: Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827).
Medium: Hand-coloured etching.
Condition: Good condition, some creasing.
Dimensions: 24.5 x 35 cm. / 9 ¾ x 13 ¾ in. (visible)
Frame: 41.5 x 50.5 cm. / 16 ¼ x 19 ¾ in.
Origin: United Kingdom.

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Two versions of the same coloured print entitled “Dr Syntax and his Counterpart”. The image was drawn and etched by Thomas Rowlandson and published in “The Second Tour of Doctor Syntax, in Search of Consolation”, by William Combe. [Ackermann, London, 1820]. Dr. Syntax is pictured here seated at a table in a formal dining room, in lively conversation with a near identical man; two maids are watching and snickering at the doorway.

The various tours of Dr. Syntax follow the escapades of a fictional rural schoolteacher and pastor who attempts to make his fortune by going travelling, and then writing and illustrating a book about his experiences of quaint and unusual places. The story was first told and published in verse and serial form in 1809, in Rudolph Ackermann's The Poetical magazine under the title "The Schoolmaster's Tour". The series was written by William Combe (1742-1823), a prolific English writer of miscellaneous prose and satirical verse, and illustrated with colour plates by Thomas Rowlandson. Combe wrote the text to elucidate the illustrations. The work was then collected in 1812 as a "by popular demand" book entitled “The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque” and was reprinted a number of times during the following decades. This collaboration of designer, author and publisher went on to produce a further two "Tours": The Second Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of Consolation (1820), and The Third Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of a Wife (1821).

It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses. A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business. Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humour. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his coarse subjects. He worked mainly in ink and watercolour, his rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art. In 1789, at the height of critical and popular success, Rowlandson's aunt died, leaving him a large sum. He ran through the money quickly, travelling across Europe and gambling: by 1793 he was impoverished. His fortunes changed in 1797, when he began working for fine-art publisher Rudolph Ackermann, who published most of Rowlandson's finest work for twenty years.

Sources: The J. Paul Getty Museum; Royal Academy.

Artist/Etcher: Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)
Medium: Hand-coloured etching with aquatint.
Condition: Good condition.
Dimensions: 13.5 x 20 cm. / 5 ¼ x 8 in. (view).
Frame: 45.5 x 34.5 cm. / 18 x 13 ½ in. Gilt wood, contemporary. Cream-coloured acid free matting and glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

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Amusing early edition aquatints drawn and etched by Thomas Rowlandson entitled "Dr. Syntax Stopt by Highwaymen" and “Bound to a Tree by Highwaymen”. They were published in "The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque", (London 1812, plates 3 and 4), a story of a fictional rural schoolteacher and pastor who attempts to make his fortune by going travelling, and then writing and illustrating a book about his experiences of quaint and unusual places. The story was first told and published in verse and serial form in 1809, in Rudolph Ackermann's The Poetical magazine under the title "The Schoolmaster's Tour". The series was written by William Combe (1742-1823), a prolific English writer of miscellaneous prose and satirical verse, and illustrated with colour plates by Thomas Rowlandson. Combe wrote the text to elucidate the illustrations. The work was then collected in 1812 as a "by popular demand" book and was reprinted a number of times during the following decades. This collaboration of designer, author and publisher went on to produce a further two "Tours": The Second Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of Consolation (1820), and The Third Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of a Wife (1821).

These prints were likely produced for the book’s second edition, and are both dated 1 April, 1813.

It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses. A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business. Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humour. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his coarse subjects. He worked mainly in ink and watercolour, his rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art. In 1789, at the height of critical and popular success, Rowlandson's aunt died, leaving him a large sum. He ran through the money quickly, travelling across Europe and gambling: by 1793 he was impoverished. His fortunes changed in 1797, when he began working for fine-art publisher Rudolph Ackermann, who published most of Rowlandson's finest work for twenty years.

Sources: The J. Paul Getty Museum; Royal Academy.

Artist/Etcher: Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)
Medium: Hand-coloured etching with aquatint.
Condition: Very good condition.
Dimensions: 14 x 21 cm. / 5 ½ x 8 ¼ in. (sheet) / each.
Frame: 50 x 38 cm. / 19 ¾ x 15 in. Gilt wood, contemporary. Brown acid free matting and glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

30% discount applicable at checkout.

A theatre company is disbanded after a charge of blasphemy. Actors, actresses and stage painters react in shock to the news. Hand-coloured copperplate engraving after an illustration by Thomas Rowlandson from “Journal of Sentimental Travels in the Southern Provinces of France, Shortly Before the Revolution”, London, 1812.

It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses. A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business. Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humour. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his coarse subjects. He worked mainly in ink and watercolour, his rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art. In 1789, at the height of critical and popular success, Rowlandson's aunt died, leaving him a large sum. He ran through the money quickly, travelling across Europe and gambling: by 1793 he was impoverished. His fortunes changed in 1797, when he began working for fine-art publisher Rudolph Ackermann, who published most of Rowlandson's finest work for twenty years.

Artist: Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827).
Medium: Hand-coloured etching
Condition: Good condition.
Dimensions: 12.5 x 19 cm. / 5 x 7 ½ in. (view)
Frame: 28 x 34.5 cm. / 11 x 13 ½ in. Gilt wood, contemporary classic. Beige acid free matting and glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

30% discount applicable at checkout.

Amusing early edition aquatint drawn and etched by Thomas Rowlandson entitled " Doctor Syntax Meditating on the Tomb Stones". It was published in "The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque", (London 1812, pl.10), a story of a fictional rural schoolteacher and pastor who attempts to make his fortune by going travelling, and then writing and illustrating a book about his experiences of quaint and unusual places. The story was first told and published in verse and serial form in 1809, in Rudolph Ackermann's The Poetical magazine under the title "The Schoolmaster's Tour". The series was written by William Combe (1742-1823), a prolific English writer of miscellaneous prose and satirical verse, and illustrated with colour plates by Thomas Rowlandson. Combe wrote the text to elucidate the illustrations. The work was then collected in 1812 as a "by popular demand" book and was reprinted a number of times during the following decades. This collaboration of designer, author and publisher went on to produce a further two "Tours": The Second Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of Consolation (1820), and The Third Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of a Wife (1821).

This print was likely produced for the book’s second edition, and is dated 1 April, 1813.

It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses. A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business. Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humour. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his coarse subjects. He worked mainly in ink and watercolour, his rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art. In 1789, at the height of critical and popular success, Rowlandson's aunt died, leaving him a large sum. He ran through the money quickly, travelling across Europe and gambling: by 1793 he was impoverished. His fortunes changed in 1797, when he began working for fine-art publisher Rudolph Ackermann, who published most of Rowlandson's finest work for twenty years.

Sources: The J. Paul Getty Museum; Royal Academy. 

Artist/Etcher: Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)
Medium: Hand-coloured etching with aquatint.
Condition: Good condition.
Dimensions: 14 x 21.5 cm. / 5 ½ x 8 ½ in. (sheet).
Frame: 28 x 34.5 cm. / 11 x 13 ½ in. Silver wood, contemporary. Olive green-coloured acid free matting and glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

30% discount applicable at checkout.

Amusing early edition aquatint drawn and etched by Thomas Rowlandson entitled "Dr. Syntax Setting out on his Tour to the Lakes". It was published in "The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque", (London 1812, pl.1), a story of a fictional rural schoolteacher and pastor who attempts to make his fortune by going travelling, and then writing and illustrating a book about his experiences of quaint and unusual places. The story was first told and published in verse and serial form in 1809, in Rudolph Ackermann's The Poetical magazine under the title "The Schoolmaster's Tour". The series was written by William Combe (1742-1823), a prolific English writer of miscellaneous prose and satirical verse, and illustrated with colour plates by Thomas Rowlandson. Combe wrote the text to elucidate the illustrations. The work was then collected in 1812 as a "by popular demand" book and was reprinted a number of times during the following decades. This collaboration of designer, author and publisher went on to produce a further two "Tours": The Second Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of Consolation (1820), and The Third Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of a Wife (1821).

This print was likely produced for the book’s second edition, and is dated 1 April, 1813.
 
It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses. A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business. Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humour. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his coarse subjects. He worked mainly in ink and watercolour, his rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art. In 1789, at the height of critical and popular success, Rowlandson's aunt died, leaving him a large sum. He ran through the money quickly, travelling across Europe and gambling: by 1793 he was impoverished. His fortunes changed in 1797, when he began working for fine-art publisher Rudolph Ackermann, who published most of Rowlandson's finest work for twenty years.

Sources: The J. Paul Getty Museum; Royal Academy.

Artist/Etcher: Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)
Medium: Hand-coloured etching with aquatint.
Condition: Good condition.
Dimensions: 12.5 x 20.5 cm. / 5 x 8 in. (sheet).
Frame: 25 x 33 cm. / 10 x 13 in. Bronzed wood, contemporary classic. Sage-coloured acid free matting and glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

30% discount applicable at checkout.
 

An original aquatint print entitled “Dr Syntax Visits a Boarding School for young Ladies”. The image was drawn and etched by Thomas Rowlandson and published in “The Second Tour of Doctor Syntax, in Search of Consolation”, by William Combe. [Ackermann, London, 1820]. Dr. Syntax is pictured here seated alongside the school mistress, addressing a group of schoolgirls below a tree.

The various tours of Dr. Syntax follow the escapades of a fictional rural schoolteacher and pastor who attempts to make his fortune by going travelling, and then writing and illustrating a book about his experiences of quaint and unusual places. The story was first told and published in verse and serial form in 1809, in Rudolph Ackermann's The Poetical magazine under the title "The Schoolmaster's Tour". The series was written by William Combe (1742-1823), a prolific English writer of miscellaneous prose and satirical verse, and illustrated with colour plates by Thomas Rowlandson. Combe wrote the text to elucidate the illustrations. The work was then collected in 1812 as a "by popular demand" book entitled “The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque” and was reprinted a number of times during the following decades. This collaboration of designer, author and publisher went on to produce a further two "Tours": The Second Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of Consolation (1820), and The Third Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of a Wife (1821).

It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses. A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business. Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humour. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his coarse subjects. He worked mainly in ink and watercolour, his rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art. In 1789, at the height of critical and popular success, Rowlandson's aunt died, leaving him a large sum. He ran through the money quickly, travelling across Europe and gambling: by 1793 he was impoverished. His fortunes changed in 1797, when he began working for fine-art publisher Rudolph Ackermann, who published most of Rowlandson's finest work for twenty years.

Sources: The J. Paul Getty Museum; Royal Academy.

Artist/Etcher: Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)
Medium: Hand-coloured etching with aquatint.
Condition: Good condition.
Dimensions: 15 x 22 cm. / 6 x 8 ½ in. (sheet).
Frame: 28 x 34.5 cm. / 11 x 13 ½ in. Gilt wood, contemporary. Light grey acid free matting and glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

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An original aquatint print entitled “Dr Syntax and the Superannuated Fox Hunter”. The image was drawn and etched by Thomas Rowlandson and published in “The Second Tour of Doctor Syntax, in Search of Consolation”, by William Combe. [Ackermann, London, 1820]. In the image, Dr Syntax is represented enjoying the company of fox hunters whilst smoking his pipe.

The various tours of Dr. Syntax follow the escapades of a fictional rural schoolteacher and pastor who attempts to make his fortune by going travelling, and then writing and illustrating a book about his experiences of quaint and unusual places. The story was first told and published in verse and serial form in 1809, in Rudolph Ackermann's The Poetical magazine under the title "The Schoolmaster's Tour". The series was written by William Combe (1742-1823), a prolific English writer of miscellaneous prose and satirical verse, and illustrated with colour plates by Thomas Rowlandson. Combe wrote the text to elucidate the illustrations. The work was then collected in 1812 as a "by popular demand" book entitled “The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque” and was reprinted a number of times during the following decades. This collaboration of designer, author and publisher went on to produce a further two "Tours": The Second Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of Consolation (1820), and The Third Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of a Wife (1821).

It was said that the amount of copper Thomas Rowlandson etched would sheathe the British Navy. An inveterate gambler, for much of his life Rowlandson had to produce a flood of his comic prints to stay ahead of financial losses. A wealthy uncle and aunt raised Rowlandson after his textile-merchant father went bankrupt. His career developed quickly. He entered London's Royal Academy Schools in 1772, visited Paris in 1774, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1775, and won a silver medal in 1777. He left school in 1778 to set up in business. Rowlandson's depictions of life in Georgian England exposed human foibles and vanity with sympathy and rollicking humour. During the 1780s he consolidated the delicate style he used for his coarse subjects. He worked mainly in ink and watercolour, his rhythmic compositions, flowing line, and relaxed elegance inspired by French Rococo art. In 1789, at the height of critical and popular success, Rowlandson's aunt died, leaving him a large sum. He ran through the money quickly, travelling across Europe and gambling: by 1793 he was impoverished. His fortunes changed in 1797, when he began working for fine-art publisher Rudolph Ackermann, who published most of Rowlandson's finest work for twenty years.

Sources: The J. Paul Getty Museum; Royal Academy.

Artist/Etcher: Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)
Medium: Hand-coloured etching with aquatint.
Condition: Good condition. Some mild staining.
Dimensions: 13.5 x 21 cm. / 5 ¾ x 8 ½ in. (view).
Frame: 28.5 x 36.5 cm. / 11 ¼ x 14.5 in. Gilt wood, contemporary. Gold-coloured acid free matting and glass.
Origin: United Kingdom.

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Vincenzio Vangelisti (c. 1740-1798) was an Italian engraver, born in Florence. He visited Paris when young, where he became a pupil of Ignazio Hugford and Johann Georg Wille. In 1766, Emperor Leopold II of Austria invited him to Milan, where he became professor in the Brera Academy, and in 1790 first director of the School of Engraving instituted by that prince. Among the engravers who studied under him were Giuseppe Longhi, who succeeded him as professor, and Faustino and Pietro Anderloni.

Louis-François-Gabriel d'Orléans de La Motte, born in Carpentras on January 13, 1683 and died on June 10, 1774 in Amiens, was a 17th and 18th century French clergyman. He was Bishop of Amiens from 1733 to 1774.

Sources: Benezit, Dictionary of Artists; British Museum; Archives de France; Martial Levé, Louis-François-Gabriel d'Orléans de La Motte, évêque d'Amiens (1683-1774), Abbeville, éd. Charles Paillart, [1962]; Abbé Proyart, Vie de M. d'Orléans de La Motte, évêque d'Amiens, Lille, L. Lefort, 1849. Bryan, Michael (1889). Walter Armstrong & Robert Edmund Graves (ed.). Dictionary of Painters and Engravers, Biographical and Critical (Volume II L-Z).

Artist: Vincenzio Vangelisti (c. 1740-1798).
Medium: Line engraving.
Condition: Very good condition
Dimensions: 26.5 x 18.4 cm / 10 ½ x 7 ¼ in. (sheet) – 24.5 x 16 cm. / 9 ¾ x 6 ¼ in. (image).
Frame: 37.5 x 29 cm / 14 ¾ x 11 ½ in. Black wood, acid-free matting and glass.
Origin: France.