STEEL ENGRAVING - "MARGUERITE" from the original painting by J. Bertrand, engraved by C.A. Deblois, published in 1876.  The engraving is in good condition.  The full page measures 12 1/2" x 9 1/2", the engraving is 11"x 6 7/8", matted to 11" x 14" for easy framing.

            Mr. Bertrand is a French artist, whose ‘Young Garibaldians,’ and ‘Virginia Drowned,’ from the popular story, “Paul and Virginia,” attracted much attention at the time of their exhibition in London, in 1869; his subsequent works, almost without an exception, having been limited to single female figures, such as “Ophelia,’ in her fantastic dress of flowers, &c,(1872); ‘Rosinetta,’ ‘Violetta,’ &c (1873); ‘Annucia’(1875), all of which testified to the delicacy and grace of the artist’s embodiments.

            To this class belongs his impersonation of ‘Marguerite,’ from Goethe’s “Faust,” where the poet describes her pleading at a wayside shrine, outside of the town, to the Virgin (Mater Dolorosa) to aid her in resisting the insidious advances of Faust after the fatal promise to deceive her mother.

            It is a sweet face, that of Marguerite, who stands before the Virgin’s shrine, with an offering of rich flowers in her basket, and an expression of pensive yet earnest supplication in her eyes as she fixes them timidly on the sculptured figure. Simple as the whole composition is, there is much poetic feeling and gracefulness throughout it.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

Antique prints, etchings, engravings, and lithographs are printing processes which use steel, copper, stone or wood blocks or plates to produce a picture on paper.

Most antique prints and engravings, which are seen on the internet today, are bookplates.  Because they are pages from a book, there are multiple copies in existence.  This does not, however, mean that they are "reproductions" that have been printed recently.  Because they were, at some point, part of books, some have been preserved in excellent condition, while others show signs of age, as yellow spots or darkness on the edge of the page from being handled.

Engravings, lithographs, etc. are high quality pieces of art, as it took a highly trained artist many hours of work to produce one.  Although there may be multiple copies still in existence, the date of the item should be stated in the auction, thus giving the buyer an idea of it's age.

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