Gallery of Henry II, Fontainebleau, Steel Engraving after Thomas Allom, c. 1845
€ 140
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1845
Mapmaker / artist
Thomas Allom (artist), J.H. Le Keux (engraver)
Publisher
Fisher, Son & Co., London and Paris
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13194-118
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 wear to the bottom right and top left corners. Age toning, darker at the edges; handling soiling along the edges and scattered foxing in the margins. A pencil note in the lower right margin. Printed image clean.
About this sheet
A steel engraving of the Gallery of Henry II, the Renaissance ballroom of the Palace of Fontainebleau, after Thomas Allom.
The great room recedes from left to right under a deeply coffered ceiling. Painted figures crowd the walls and the arches of the deep window bays, chandeliers hang down the length of the hall, and a musicians' gallery fills the far end. On the polished floor courtiers in sixteenth century dress, ladies in wide skirts and ruffs, bow and talk as if at a royal ball.
The plate is lettered "Drawn by T. Allom" and "Engraved by J.H. Le Keux", with the title "Gallery of Henry II. Fontainbleau", captions in French and German, "Galerie de Henri II. Fontainebleau" and "Heinrich II. Gallerie, Fontainebleau", and the imprint "Fisher, Son and Co. London and Paris". It belongs to Fisher's series of views of France of the mid 1840s and is dated circa 1845.
The ballroom was completed for Henry II and decorated by Primaticcio and Niccolò dell'Abbate, and it is one of the most celebrated interiors of the French Renaissance. John Henry Le Keux was renowned for architectural engraving, and the ceiling here is a tour de force.
A rich, detailed interior that suits a dining room or library. The engraved image measures about 12.4 by 19.1 cm (height by width), and the margins around it carry all the original lettering, which is worth keeping visible in the 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.
