Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. Printed image clean.
About this sheet
A farm boy rides a white horse into a shallow river, leading two dark horses beside him; one bends its head to drink, and all three stand reflected in the still water. On the bank at right a young woman kneels on a flat stone doing the washing, a basket beside her and ducks and geese wandering nearby. Behind her a stone ramp climbs to a tall old farmhouse with shuttered windows, where a rider and a few figures rest by the wall. Across the river lie meadows, poplars and a distant house under a pale sky, and swallows skim low over the water. The horses are painted with real knowledge of their build and movement.
The plate reproduces a painting by Jules Veyrassat (1828 to 1893), the French painter and etcher of rural life who specialized in horses and river scenes in the country around Paris. The margin reads "Peint par J. Veyrassat", and the painter's signature with the date 1875 appears in the lower right of the image. The painting is known as "The Watering Place". The line "Photogravure & Imp. Goupil & Cie" names the Paris house that made and printed the plate.
Photogravure renders the painting in soft, continuous gray tones, with luminous water and sky and fine detail in the horses' harness and the stonework.
A peaceful rural scene for a country kitchen, a study or a guest room, and it would look well in a simple walnut or black frame with a wide mat.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
