Cour d'Honneur, Versailles, Antique Lithograph after Ph. Benoist, circa 1850
€ 340
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1850
Mapmaker / artist
Philippe Benoist (artist), Auguste Bry (printer)
Publisher
Gihaut Freres, Paris
Technique
Tinted lithograph
Coloring
Tinted
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13194-105
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 age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. Small light flecks in the image, otherwise clean.
About this sheet
A tinted lithograph of the Cour d'Honneur at the Palace of Versailles, looking across the great forecourt toward the palace. Two pedimented pavilions face each other across the court, the long wings of the palace reach back toward the central buildings, and at the center stands the equestrian statue of Louis XIV. At right, the tall roof of the Royal Chapel rises above a balustrade lined with statues.
The court is full of visitors and soldiers: officers in plumed hats at left, mounted riders, couples in the dress of the 1840s, and guards in helmets and cuirasses at right. A soft, overcast sky takes up the upper half of the sheet.
Versailles was opened as a museum of French history under King Louis-Philippe in the 1830s, and views like this one recorded the crowds who came to see it. The sheet is lettered "Versailles" above and "COUR D'HONNEUR" below, numbered 6, after a drawing by Philippe Benoist, printed by Auguste Bry and published by Gihaut Frères of the Boulevard des Italiens in Paris.
The technique is lithography printed with a buff tint stone, with the sky and pavement in soft crayon tones and the figures picked out with crisp detail and white highlights. A double ruled border frames the image.
Classical and orderly, this view would suit a formal dining room or an entrance hall, framed in a gilt or antique white molding to echo the architecture of the palace.
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.
