Elegants of 1729 in Court and Town Dress, Antique Print, circa 1882
€ 210
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1882
Mapmaker / artist
Engraved by Tamisier
Publisher
F. Roy, editeur, 185 rue Saint-Antoine, Paris
Technique
Woodcut
Coloring
Original hand color
Sheet size
20 × 28.5 cm (7.9 × 11.2 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13382-64
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
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 uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along the bottom and top edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the top right corner.
About this sheet
This original antique hand-colored wood engraving shows Elegants of 1729 in Court and Town Dress, a plate from Augustin Challamel's La France et les Francais a travers les siecles, Paris, circa 1882. Two men of about 1729, one in court dress and one in town dress, in full skirted coats with deep cuffs, embroidered waistcoats, tricorne hats and small wigs, taken from engravings of the period.
This sheet was issued at Paris about 1882 by F. Roy, editeur, in Augustin Challamel's history of France and the French through the centuries, a work crowned by the Academie francaise. Challamel was also the author of a history of fashion in France, and the costume plates are the part of the book he cared about most. They are wood engravings, and the color has been applied by hand over the printed line, which is why the washes sit slightly across the engraved outline in places. This is a wood engraving finished by hand in watercolor. The coloring is bold rather than subtle, which suits the flat decorative drawing, and the strong yellows, reds and blues of the suite are what make these sheets work so well in a group on a wall rather than only as reference illustrations.
The stiffened skirts of the coat in this plate are the defining feature of men's dress under the regency and the young Louis the Fifteenth, and showing court and town side by side makes the difference between them legible. Mounted with a wide cream border and framed in gilt it suits a bedroom, a landing or a fitting room, and it sits naturally beside other French decorative material of the later nineteenth century.
Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along the bottom and top edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the top right corner.
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.
