Gardens and Palace of Versailles, Antique Lithograph by J. Jacottet, circa 1850
€ 210
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1850
Mapmaker / artist
J. Jacottet (artist and lithographer), Auguste Bry (printer)
Publisher
Gihaut Freres, Paris
Technique
Tinted lithograph
Coloring
Tinted
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13194-107
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 top left corner. Light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. Printed image clean.
About this sheet
A sweeping bird's eye tinted lithograph of the park and palace of Versailles. In the foreground, the great fountain basin sends up tall jets of water around a sculptured ensemble of horses and figures, and beyond it the long green avenue climbs straight up the hill between clipped walls of trees to the palace, which stretches across the horizon. Formal groves, hidden basins and bosquets fill the gardens to either side, and the town of Versailles with a domed church spreads to the right.
Tiny figures walk along the avenue and around the fountain, giving a sense of the immense scale of the gardens, under a wide sky of soft, streaked clouds.
This is the classic view from the Apollo Fountain up the Tapis Vert, or Royal Avenue, to the garden front of the palace, the axis laid out for Louis XIV by Andre Le Notre. The sheet is lettered "Versailles" above and "VUE GÉNÉRALE DU PARC ET DU CHÂTEAU" below, numbered 34. It was drawn and lithographed by J. Jacottet, printed by Auguste Bry in Paris and published by Gihaut Frères, Boulevard des Italiens.
The technique is lithography with a buff tint stone, the jets of water and the sky picked out in white, and the clipped hedges drawn with a fine crayon texture. A ruled border frames the image.
Its strong central perspective makes this a striking print for a long wall or above a mantelpiece, where it reads clearly from a distance; a gilt frame would suit its subject.
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.
