Watermark: grape inscribed in a circle with inscription Colonbier, similar to Heawood 2427: France, after 1654.

Literature:    Text Plate - Dumesnil IV.254.12A17, attributed to Nicolas Cochin the Elder;

                                       I.F.F (12-17) incomplete; 

                                       De Vesme - Massar, Stefano della Bella: Catalogue raisonné, New York 1971, cat. n. CLXXXVIII, among the list of dubious works by Della Bella, attributed to Nicolas Cochin. At least three states recorded, but none of them is described.

                    Image -      Not in Robert-Dumesnil;

                                      I.F.F. 137 (Dorigny) as anonyme;

                                      Dumesnil (Duplessis) XI.80.2 (under Pièces non décrites by Dumesnil), the title plate with Mariette's address;

                                     J. Thuillier, Jacques Blanchard 1600 - 1638, Exh. Cat., Rennes, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 1998, p. 240, fig. 1;

                                     S. Laveissière, Nicolas Chaperon, 1612 - 1654/1655: du graveur au peintre retrouvé, Exh. Cat., Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nîmes, 1999, cat. no. 17, I/II;

                                     H. Sandrine, Estampes françaises du XVIIe siècle. Une donation au musée des beaux-arts de Nancy, Paris, 2008, n° 705.1 a. I/III.

Beautiful and dark impression of the first state from two plates with uncleaned plate edges. With margins all around.

Laid on 17th century album sheet with grape watermark, similar to Heawood 2095: London 1616.

The title page first state of two lettered RECUEIL DE DIVERSES BACCANALLES/ De Poussin, Chappron, D'origny, et autres/ A PARIS,/ Chez F. Langlois dit Chartres rue Sainct Jacques/ aux colonnes d'Hercule contre le lyon d'Argent.

Published by François Langlois, il Ciartres (1588-1647), in Paris, before Mariette's address.

While the text plate is a first state of three (1), our impression of the image is an unrecorded state, before the number 1.

The series poses several unsolved issues, including the authorship of the title plate and others. According to S. Laveissière, none of the ten images seem to be by Poussin, whose name was probably used to drum up customers. Similarly, besides Dorigny and Chaperon, the "autres" artists have not been identified.

Out of the ten plates, three were by Chaperon as both inventor and engraver (two of them are included in our display), all the others are anonymous, including the present title page. (2) According to Pierre-Jean Mariette (1694-1774) - great-grandson of the Mariette who had published the series of six Bacchanales by Dorigny and grandson of Pierre Mariette II who had married Langlois' widow in 1655 - all the plates were engraved by the younger Dorigny after drawings by Chaperon.

The success of the images is demonstrated by their use as models for the painted decoration of the Mornay castle in France, Poitou - destroyed by a fire in 1947 - as well as several painted copies, drawings and faience decorations (3).

A example of the two plates on the same sheet is in the Musée de beaux-arts of Nancy (inv. TH.99.15.1879, cf. French Gov. website POP: no. TH.99.15.1826, Musée de beaux-arts, Nancy).

(1) H. Sandrine, Estampes françaises du XVIIe siècle. Une donation au musée des beaux-arts de Nancy, Paris, 2008, n° 705.1 a, inv. TH.99.15.1879.

(2) S. Laveissière, Nicolas Chaperon, 1612 - 1654/1655: du graveur au peintre retrouvé, Exh. Cat., Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nîmes, 1999, p. 40.

(3) Ibid. p. 41.