Author: Duplessis-Bertaux, Jean (1747-1819). French painter, draughtsman and producer of etchings and burin engravings.
Title: [Cris Des Marchands Ambulants de Paris]. A Suite of 18 Engravings by Jean Duplessis-Bertaux Illustrating the Street Cries of Paris Merchants.
Description: Paris, circa 1805 through 1814. Paris, circa 1805 through 1814. Very good. - A suite of 18 plates by Jean Duplessis-Bertaux engraved on creamy white stock measuring between 10-1/2 inches by 8 inches and 11 inches by 8-1/2 inches with large margins (there is one smaller exception). The images depict the various cries of Paris merchants. All but three are signed "JDB" in the plate. Most of the images are identified and titled in French in pencil by a previous owner. The collection is as follows: "Marchand de gravures etalagiste", portrays street vendors of engravings offering their merchandise to customers, some of whom are handling the prints. Several prints hang from a wire stretched between poles in the background and a large blank canvas hangs from the center of the pole. In some editions, what is here a blank canvas bears the printed title "Suite de Marchands ambulants de Paris par J.D. Bertaux" and serves as frontispiece to the work. The image measures 3-1/4 inch high by 2-1/4 inch wide within 4 inch high by 3-1/4 inch wide plate marks. The edges are very slightly creased with two tiny tears to the left edge and a couple of tiny stains or spotting to the bottom margin of the page. "Decrotteur et ramoneur" portrays a man shining the shoes of an officer as chimney sweeps and other shoe-shiners are pictured in the background. A small dog stands at the side of the officer. The image measures 2-1/4 inches high by 3-1/4 inches wide within 3-1/4 inch high by 4 inch wide plate marks. There is some minor faint foxing. "Parade de comediens ambulants" portrays traveling actors performing and parading on the porch of a house, with spectators in the foreground. The image measures 2-3/8 inch high by 3-3/8 inches wide within 3-1/2 inch high by 4-1/4 inch wide plate marks. There is light foxing throughout. "Colleur d'affiches" portrays a bill-poster perched on a ladder pasting a poster or bill to the corner wall of a building. Another worker stands around the corner and a family looks on with their dog. The image measures 2-3/8 inches high by 3-3/8 inches wide within 3 inch high by 3-7/8 inch wide plate marks. There are some minor faint stains and minor foxing to the margins. "Gagne petit" portrays a knife grinder or sharpener carrying his grinding wheel on his back with a dog at his side. Another knife grinder wheels his equipment in a wheelbarrow. A house and people are pictured in the background. The image measures 2-3/8 inches high by 3-1/4 inches wide within 3 inch high by 3-7/8 inch wide plate marks. There is minor foxing to the margins. "Remouleur", although the title differs, the image is identical to the prior one. "Gagne petit" and "remouleur" both translate to knife grinder or sharpener. There is some scattered foxing and the paper is lightly darkened. "Titre", possibly the title page to the work. The image portrays men filling water containers from a city's monument fountain with water pouring from the mouth of a troll. The image measures 2-1/2 inches high by 3-3/8 inches wide within 3-1/8 inch high by 3-7/8 inch wide plate marks. The edges of the plate are darkened with a short tear to the top edge and just a hint of foxing to the margins. "Serrurier" portrays a locksmith grinding keys near the open gate leading to a mansion. The image measures 2-3/8 inches high by 3-3/8 inches wide within 3-1/8 inch high by 3-7/8 inch wide plate marks. There is a minor crease to the bottom right corner with just a hint of foxing to the margins. "Cardeuses de matelats" portrays mattress carders. 3 women are seated with their carding tools and sections of stuffed fabric. The image measures 3-3/8 inches high by 2-3/8 inches wide within 4-1/4 inch high by 3-1/4 inch wide plate marks. There are minor creases to the corners with a couple of faint specks to the margins. "Menuisiers" portrays carpenters working on furniture at their work table. The image measures 2-1/4 inches high by 3-1/4 inches wide within 3-1/8 inch high by 3-7/8 inch wide plate marks. There is light scattered foxing, mostly to the margins. "Marchands de parapluies et de soufflets" portrays an umbrella merchant carrying several on his back and a bellows merchant with several fireplace bellows attached to this clothing. The image measures 3-1/4 inches high by 2-3/8 inches wide within 4 inch high by 3-1/4 inch wide plate marks. "Batteurs de platre" portrays plaster beaters. A man is beating away at plaster spread out upon the ground as another carries a basket of plaster to spread over it. The image measures 2-3/8 inches high by 3-3/8 inches wide within 3-1/4 inch high by 3-7/8 inch wide plate marks. There is some minor foxing to the margins. "Charrons" portrays wheel builders constructing wooden carriage wheels. The image measures 2-1/4 inches high by 3-1/4 inches wide within 3-1/8 inch high by 3-7/8 inch wide plate marks. There is some minor faint foxing throughout. "Scieurs de bois" portrays sawyers at work as an empty horse-drawn cart rides away and another stacks wood upon a ramp leading to a barn's loft. The image measures 2-3/8 inches high by 3-1/4 inches wide within 3-1/8 inch high by 4 inch wide plate marks. There are some minor sports of foxing or browning to the print. "Lingere au petit crochet" portrays an elderly woman cloth merchant carrying her linens in a basket on her back. Several dogs are near her and another cloth merchant can be seen speaking to a man in the background. The image measures 3-3/8 inches high by 2-3/8 inches wide within 4-1/8 inch high by 3-1/4 inch wide plate marks. There are minor creases to the edges. "Porteur d'eau" portrays a water carrier and his wife pulling a large barrel of water on a cart. Another water cart and houses are depicted in the background at left. The image measures 2-3/8 inches high by 3-1/4 inches wide within 3-1/4 inches high by 3-7/8 inches wide plate marks. There is creasing to the bottom right corner and some foxing to the margins. "Tomeliers" portrays coopers at work constructing wooden barrels to which they affix metal rings. The image measures 2-3/8 inches high by 3-1/4 inches wide within 3-1/8 inch high by 3-3/4 inch wide plate marks. There is some minor foxing throughout. An untitled image portrays barbers working on customers hair and beards and a wigmaker at her loom. Several wigs hang from the wall. The image measures 2-1/4 inches high by 3-1/4 inches wide within 3-1/2 inch high by 4-7/8 inch wide plate marks. This print is engraved on a sheet which is slightly smaller than the others, measuring 7-3/8 inches high by 9-1/4 inches wide. There is a piece chipped from the bottom left corner with some foxing and darkening to the margins. The artist's name, here spelled "Duplessis-Berteaux" by an early owner, is penned on the verso. The engravings are in overall very good condition with a paper tab mounted along one edge of the verso of each print. The French painter and draughtsman Jean Duplessis-Bertaux (1747-1819) produced etchings and burin engravings. Having taken part in the French Revolution, Duplessis-Bertaux produced a series of prints entitled "Scenes de la Revolution", followed by "Campagnes de Napoleon" which illustrated scenes from Napoleon Bonaparte's Italian campaigns, engraved after paintings by Carle Vernet. He also produced a series of engravings portraying the street cries of Paris "Cris de Paris". Duplessis-Bertaux also collaborated on some prints with Jean-Louis Delignon and produced several pornographic prints, many of which were printed anonymously but were later re-attributed to him. The work entitled "Recueil de cent sujets de divers genres", published in 1814, gathered together in one volume 100 of Duplessis-Bertaux' engravings from eight of the suites, including military scenes and those from his Cries of Paris which had previously been distributed seperately. Very good .

Keywords: ILLUSTRATED; ART; PRINTS; ORIGINAL ENGRAVINGS; SUITE OF PLATES; CRIS DES MARCHAND AMBULANTS DE PARIS; JEAN-DUPLESSIS-BERTAUX; NINETEENTH CENTURY; 19TH CENTURY; ORIGINAL; CRIES OF THE MERCHANTS OF PARIS; STREET CRIES; PRINT SELLERS; DEALERS; SHOE-SHINER; C


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