| Title: |
Le Singe au Miroir (The Monkey at the Mirror) |
| Artist: |
Leroux, Eugene "Eugene Le Roux' (Caen, 1807 or 1811 – Paris, 1863) |
| Artist: |
Decamps, Alexandre Gabriel (Paris, 1803 - Fontainebleau,
1860) |
| Date: |
1850 |
| Medium: |
Original Lithograph |
| Publisher: |
Bertauts, Paris |
| Printer: |
Bertauts, Paris |
| Source: |
Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes, Paris (1er Volume, 1ere Annee, #2) |
| Note: |
Eugene Leroux 'Eugene Le Roux': A French lithographer, Eugene Leroux (sometimes spelled, ‘Le Roux’) commenced his career as a topographical artist. He moved to Paris in 1833 and initially was employed to design trade-cards and advertising posters. He later illustrated books and produced individual lithographs both after his own designs and after the designs of other contemporary artists. In this latter category Leroux was praised for his lithographic art after the works of Decamps and Karl Bodmer. |
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Eugene Le Roux first exhibited his art at the Paris Salon in 1845 and was an annual exhibitor there up to 1861. His fine lithographs were awarded medals in 1851, 1852 and 1855. |
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Eugene Leroux co-founded "Les Artistes Contemporains" (1843) along with Celestin Nanteuil, Adolphe Mouilleron, Francois-Louis Francais and Henri Baron. As well, Eugene Leroux was a major contributor to the lithographic series, "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes", a ten volume series which began in 1850. "Le Singe au Miroir" originates from this series and bears the publisher’s circular blindstamp in the lower margin. The British Museum, includes an impression of "Le Singe au Miroir", Registration number, 1936,0302.14.3. The museum curator notes that their print hails from Volume 1, 1ere Annee, 1ere livraison, which is one of three bound volumes in their Department of Prints and Drawings. |
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Le Roux's contributions to "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes", were numerous, some were both created and designed by him, such as "Gurth et Wamba (Ivanhoe)" (#8) and the Title-page for the tenth and last volume of this set. The 10th and last Title-page for the set bears the Blind- stamp & the title of the publication, "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes", the artist's name, "Eug. Le Roux.", along with a list of contributing artists for the 10th volume, "par H. Baron, L. Francais, Eug. Le Roux, A. Mouilleron, C. Nanteuil, Gavarni, K. Bodmer, C. Jacque ", the publication number, "10 eme. Volume" and the printer's details, "Imp. lith: Bertauts, r, Cadet, No. 11". Also, other lithographs were based upon works by eminent French artists, such as Eugene Delacroix, Adolphe Appian, Jean Adrien Guignet, Charles Jacque, Alexandre Gabriel Decamps and others. The British Museum lists an impression of E. Le Roux's lithograph created after a painting by Eugene Delacroix from "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes", #140, volume six, museum registration number, 1889.0608.412. The original painting was exhibited at the Exposition universelle in 1855. |
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Alexandre Gabriel Decamps: Along with Delacroix and Gericault, Alexandre Gabriel Decamps is one of France’s most esteemed Romanticist artists. He studied art in a variety of studios, including those of Ingres and David, but rebelled against academic traditions at a young age. First establishing himself as a painter of animals, genre scenes, figure studies and landscapes, Decamps received medals from the Paris Salon in 1831 and 1834. A constant traveler, he spent some years in the south of France, Switzerland, Italy and the Levant. It was in the East, however, that he found the subjects most suited to his genius, and his Orientalist images were the first of a class in which there were many artistic followers throughout the nineteenth century. Many of Decamps’s Orientalist views were based upon his trips to Turkey or Smyrna. |
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Like Delacroix, Decamps was also an accomplished etcher and lithographer. As well he was in constant demand for his designs and many contemporary lithographers, such as Adolphe Mouilleron and Eugene Leroux, dedicated much of their work to interpreting his paintings and drawings as graphic works of art. |
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A partial listing of lithographs pulblished by "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes" after Decamps include, "La Tour de Bordeaux" (#26), Marche d'armee;Cavaliers au passage du gue" (#40), "Le Desert Indien" (#53), "Le suicide" (#49), "Joseph vendu par ses freres"(#62), "Le patre" (#70), "Les canes" (#76), "Les Bohemiens" (#205), "Le cocher" (#213), "Les forcats" (#219), "Chiens courants en defaut" (#225), "Corps-de Garde" (#238). |
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Le Singe au Miroir (The Monkey at the Mirror): An original lithograph, "Le Singe au Miroir" was created by Eugene Le Roux based upon a design created by the French artist, Alexandre Gabriel Decamps. It is the second lithograph issued in the first set of "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes" published in Paris in 1850. This impression bears the blindstamp of "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes", the artists' names "Decamps, pinx.", & "Eug. Le Roux Lith", as well as the printer's details "Imp. Bertauts" in the lower margin. In this scene, the artist depicts a room with various objects scattered about a wooden floor. To the left, there are some flowers, an overturned bottle, and further back, a hat or decorative pot just beneath the draped table against the wall. To the right, there is an ornate box (possibly a jewelry box), beside a candle stopper (or pipe), & a broken pitcher near the wall. However, the main focus here is not the chaos, but the creature who created it, a large monkey dressed in a tunic with a broken chain around its waist. It is holding up a large rectangular mirror grimacing fiercely at its own reflection. The Beaux-arts de Paris, l’Ecole Nationale Superieure includes an impression of Plate #2, "Le Singe au Miroir" in its permanent collection. It can be viewed on their site under their inventory number, Est3223. Their impression bears the number 2, the artist’s name “Decamps,pinx.”, the lithographer’s name “Eug. Le Roux, lith.” & the printer’s details “Imp. Bertauts, Paris”in the margins. The date provided for their impression is 1850. |
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Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes, Paris: From 1850 to 1862 a collection of masterpieces from the French school of art was commissioned for "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes" and published in ten volumes. Note: The Inventaire du Fonds Francais: Bibliotheque Nationale, Departement des Estampes, Paris, describes 'Livraisons' as 'volumes'. Each volume consisted of reproductive and most importantly, original prints created by contemporary French artists of the 19th century. These works bear the blindstamp of "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes". Each volume contained a frontispiece featuring an original print, and twenty four plates, making it a total of two hundred and forty plates (mostly lithographs) and ten lithographic frontispieces (Title-pages), published under the title, "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes", both printed and edited by Bertauts in Paris. The series is similar to another set entitled, "Les Artistes Contemporains", also published in album form from 1845 to 1853. Various 'proof impressions & early impressions' (before numbers and or letters), were also sold individually. As this impression of "Le Singe au Miroir" bears the blindstamp of "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes" printed before the addition of the number (2) in the upper right margin, it appears to be one of the individual proof impressions. |
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In order to establish the dates of publication for prints published by Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes, Paris, the following information is provided. In the "Catalogue Raisonne: "L'oeuvre de Gavarni", page 415, the authors, J. Armelhault / Bocher, write that seven Gavarni lithographs were part of a suite consisting of two hundred and forty lithographs created by diverse artists, published successively and then reunited in ten volumes under the title, "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes", Paris, printed by Bertauts, however, no publication dates were provided. Further research takes us to the Catalogue Raisonne entitled, "Decamps et son Oeuvre: Avec des Gravures en Facsimile", page 121 by Adolphe Moreau. The author writes that "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes" was both edited and printed by Bertauts, with a few printed by Lemercier. Moreau then notes that the publication began in 1848 and ended in 1862. It is possible Moreau is referring to the date of first issue, as some of the prints published in "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes" were previously issued by L'Artiste", "Les Artistes Contemporains" and other publications as early as 1848. For example, the 1849 French volume entitled, "Bibliographie de la France" includes a list of books published in 1849 and a preview of new books for the following year. "Les Artistes Anciens et Moderns" is included in this list. *See: "Bibliographie de la France, ou Journal General, de L'Imprimerie et de la Librarie, et des cartes Geographiques, Gravures, Lithographies et Oeuvres de Muique". XXXVIII Annee, Paris Chez Pillet Aine, Libraire, Editeur du Voyage Autour du Monde, de la Collection des moeurs Francaises, Anglaises, etc. Rue des Grands-Augustins, No 7, 1849. page 580, listed under, "'Estampes (1). Gravures et Lithographies. Sujets de Genre. # 511.-"Les Artistes Anciens et Moderns, par MM. H. Baron, Francois, Gavarni, E. Leroux, Mouilleron, C. Nanteuil, Etc. Primiere Livraison. Impr. lith. de Bertauts, a Paris". |
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The British Museum includes the first three volumes of “Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes” in its collection. Their volumes consist of six livraisons (parts), two livraisons per volume, with a total of 144 plates (Lugt 36a). The Title-page for the first livraison was created by Celestin Nanteuil; it reads, “Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes / par / H. Baron, L. Francais, Eug. Le Roux, / A. Mouilleron, C. Nanteuil, / 1er Volume. 1ere Anne.” And below. “Paris, / Impr: lith: Bertauts, r. St. Marc, 14.”, Registration Number 1936,0302,14.1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art includes the complete set of ten volumes of "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes" in their permanent collection, Accession Number: 22.106.36.1-.10. They note that each album contains a title-page and a list of plates with titles, a brief description, the names of the original artists. Unfortunately, both British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art only list the approximate dates of publication (c.1848- c. 1862). As noted earlier, the Beaux-arts de Paris, l’Ecole Nationale Superieure includes an impression of Plate #2 , "Le Singe au Miroir" (from the first volume), in its permanent collection, inventory number, Est3223. The date provided for their impression is 1850. Following that numerical sequense, The National Gallery of Canada includes the Title-page for the 4th volume of "Les artistes anciens et modernes" dated 1853. |
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One of the most important sources of French history and knowledge is the Biblioteque National de France. Within its vast archives, it includes various lithographs from "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes". The following lithographs included in its collection may help to identify the publication dates for this series. Beginning with the lithographic frontispiece created by Celestin Nanteuil issued in the first volume, the Biblioteque's listed date is 1850. The text on the lithograph reads; "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes par H. Baron, L. Francais. Eug. Le Roux, A. Mouilleron, C. Nanteuil, 1er Volume, 1ere Annee, Paris, Impr. lith. Bertauts, r St. Mare,14", Identifiant: ark:/12148/btv1b84512896. The listed date for the frontispiece by Nanteuil for that appeared in the third volume is 1852, the text on that print reads "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes par H. Baron, Francais, E. Leroux, A. Mouilleron, C. Nanteuil, Gavarni, K. Bodmer, C. Jacques, 3eme Volume, Paris, Imp. Bertauts, r Cadet", identifiant: ark:/12148/btv1b8451290b and Plate #207, "Le Philtre", created by Celestin Nanteuil after a work by Armand Leleux was published in the ninth volume, 1860, Identifiant: ark:/12148/btv1b84513513. |
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The "Catalogue of the Inventaire du fonds Francais apres 1800 / Bibliotheque nationale, Departement des estampes", Jacques Letheve et Francoise Gardey, Tome Quatorzieme, 1967 includes a complete listing for works in its collection that were published by Les Artistes anciens et moderne. The works are dated by tome and volume. This original Eugene Leroux lithograph is listed under, "124 Fonds Francais Apres: (#81), PL dans Les Artistes anciens et moderne, impr. Bertauts, Tome I, [1850]: 2. Le Singe au miroir, d'apr. Decamps". Other examples include, (1851-1852), tome II, vol. 3, tome III, vol. 5, (1853-1854), tome IV, vol. 7, (1856-1857), tome VIII, (1858), tome IX (1859 - 1860), and tome X (1861 - 1862). In conclusion, we will note the dates provided by the Biblioteque National de France'. which are (1850 - 1862). Twenty four prints per volume (plus the Title-page), starting with volume 1, (plates 1-24), volume 2, (plates 25-48), volume 3, (plates 49-72) , volume 4 (plates 73-96) etc. etc. |
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Bertauts, Publishing & Printing Firm (c. 1830's - c. 1970's): The renowned French lithographic publisher and printer, Bertauts was considered one of the finest printers in Europe during the mid-nineteenth century. According to the Beaus-Arts – de la Lithographie et des Imprimeurs, Bertauts began printing lithographs after 1826 and established his lithographic firm in 1836. During the 1830's and into the 1870's, original lithographs printed by Bertauts appeared in such publications as, "L'Artiste, Paris" (1831-1904), "Album du Salon" (1839-1844), "Les Beaux-Arts" (1843-1844), "Les Artistes Contemporains", (1845 - 1853), "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes, Paris" (1850 - 1862), "Animaux et Paysages d'Apres Nature" (1858), the "Gazette des beaux arts" (1859-1939), "Souvenirs d' Artistes" (1860-1876), and other major 19th century art journals of the time. Le Singe au Miroir (The Monkey at the Mirror) was printed by Bertauts for the Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes published in Paris by Bertauts in 1850. |
| Raisonne: |
Adolphe Moreau, "Decamps et son Oeuvre: Avec des Gravures en Facsimile", Paris, 1869.
Catalogue #112, First and Only State. |
| Raisonne: |
J. Armelhault et Bocher, "Catalogue Raisonne: L'oeuvre de Gavarni, Lithographies Originales et essais d'eau-forte et de procedes nouveaux, Libraire des Bibliophiles, Rue Saint-Honore, 338 Paris, 1873. Suites Publiees Isolement, Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes, page 415. |
| Reference: |
Jacques Letheve et Francoise Gardey, "Catalogue of the Inventaire du fonds francais apres 1800 / Bibliotheque nationale, Departement des estampes", Tome Quatorzieme, 1967 |
| Reference: |
"Bibliographie de la France, ou Journal General, de L'Imprimerie et de la Librarie, et des Cartes Geographiques, Gravures, Lithographies et Oeuvres de Muique". XXXVIII Annee, Paris Chez Pillet Aine, Libraire, Editeur du Voyage Autour du Monde, de la Collection des moeurs Francaises, Anglaises, etc. Rue des Grands-Augustins, No 7, 1849, page 580. |
| Reference: |
Henri Beraldi, "Les Graveurs du XIX Siecle: Guide de L’amateur d’Estampes Modernes", IX, laemlein – Mecou, Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, 5, Rue Drout, 5, 1889. |
| Size: |
8 1/8 X 5 3/4 (Sizes in inches are approximate,
height preceding width of plate-mark or image.) |
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Matted with 100% Archival Materials |
| Buy Now |
Price: $265.00 US |
| Condition: |
Printed upon fine chine collle and impressed onto a larger sheet of wove paper with full margins as printed in Paris by Bertauts. Bearing the blindstamp of "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes", the artists' names "Decamps, pinx.", & "Eug. Le Roux Lith", as well as the printer's details "Imp. Bertauts" in the lower margin. Containing minor toning and foxing to the image and the margins due to a former acidic matting, else a good impression and in fair condition throughout. "Le Singe au Miroir" (The Monkey at the Mirror) represents a prime, original example of the lithographic art of Eugene Leroux and of the famous art of Alexandre Gabriel Decamps. |
| Subject: |
Eugene Leroux, Eugene Le Roux, Alexandre Gabriel Decamps, "Le Singe au Miroir" (The Monkey at the Mirror) original lithograph, "Les Artistes Anciens et Modernes", Bertauts, Printer. |
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