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Two beautiful suites of landscapes, fortifications, etc.: drawing lessons by Callot, Silvestre and others

CALLOT, Jacques.
Livre des paysages de Callot. Propre à la noblesse et aux ingenieurs pour apprendre a dessiner à la plume avec liberté, et en peu de temps.

Engraved title in cartouche, engraved by J. Mariette (nr. 1), 2 engraved plates 'Advertissement' (nrs. 2-3), and 19 numbered engraved plates (nrs. 4-22; ca. 85 x 165 mm) of which one (rather clumsily) hand coloured, with landscapes and scenery, engraved by Israel Henriet after the designs by Jacques Callot.

Paris, Nicolas Langlois, (ca. 1660-1680). Oblong 8vo. 177 x 242 mm). Contemporary mottled calf, spine gilt in compartments. Engraved title in cartouche, engraved by J. Mariette (nr. 1), 2 engraved plates 'Advertissement' (nrs. 2-3), and 19 numbered engraved plates (nrs. 4-22; ca. 85 x 165 mm) of which one (rather clumsily) hand coloured, with landscapes and scenery, engraved by Israel Henriet after the designs by Jacques Callot.

With:
SILVESTRE, Israel. Leçons données aux pages du Roy. par le Sr. Silvestre, pour apprendre a dessigner la fortification, le paysage, &c.
Paris, Nicolas Langlois, (ca. 1680?). Oblong 8vo. Engraved title, 22 engraved plates with fortifications, city views, horses, etc. (ca. 100 x 170 mm.) by or after the designs of Israel Silvestre, engraved by François Noblesse, after the designs of Callot, Louis François Collignon and others.

Two rare print series with separate title-pages by two of the most famous and prolific French draughtsmen and engravers of the seventeenth century.
On the title-pages of both series is explicitly mentioned that the series are very useful for drawing lessons of engeneers and young noblemen; the captions of the last two plates also mention this pupose.

Ad 1: Rare printseries of finely designed and etched plates with scenery and pastoral landscapes by Jacques Callot (1592-1635), a famous French etcher and engraver. When still very young, Callot went to Rome where he studied with Thomassin and later with Antonio Tempesta. From 1614 to 1621 he worked at Florence for Cosimo II de' Medici. Then he returned to Nancy and worked for the Court of Lotharingen. He became so famous that Louis XIII instructed Callot to picture the sieges of La Rochelle and of Breda. Callot greatly influenced the next generation of French pictorial artists.
Our series is the second issue, containing for the first time the two leaves with the 'Avertissement' (nrs. 2-3; in their first state; there is a second state with the address altered in "Chez J. Mariette'). The first issue has the title Divers paisages mis en lumière par Israel Dediez a Monseigneur Louis de Crevant ... (Meaume 1098). Underneath the first plate (nr. 4)a second title is engraved: "Livre de divers Paisages min en lumiere par Langlois".
The plates of the first issue were signed by the engraver Israel Henriet (1608-1661), now erased, and unnumbered.

Ad 2: Most of the plates of the second series are engraved and/or designed by Israel Silvestre (1621-1691), also a well-known French draughtsman and engraver who specialized in topographical views and perspectives of famous buildings. Orphaned at an early age, he was taken in by his uncle in Paris, the etcher, printseller and friend of Callot, Israel Henriet. Between 1630 and 1650 Silvestre travelled widely in France and Italy, which he visited three times. His work, especially of Venetian subjects published in the 1660s, influenced eighteenth-century painters of vedute such as Canaletto.
In 1661 he inherited the stock of plates of his uncle, Israel Henriet, among which was a large part of the works of Jacques Callot. In 1662 he was appointed 'dessinateur et graveur du Roi' and in 1673 he was appointed drawing-master to Louis, le Grand Dauphin. Silvestre's atelier was large: he had at least two pupils who had careers as engravers, François Noblesse and Meunier. Silvestre often made engravings after the drawings of Callot and also aimed at reproducing the highly esteemed and popular style of Callot.
The series contains 22 unnumbered plates, often signed by Silvestre: 'Silvestre delin.', or 'Isreal ex.', apparently originally belonging to different series by or after Silvestre:
- Nrs. 1-2 (also 3-9?), 21-22 belong to the series of 12 views: Livres de diverses veües de France, Rome et Florence. Faits par Israel Silvestre (Paris, Israel, n.d.), which are engraved by François Noblesse (1652-1730), the pupil of Silvestre and another follower of the style of Callot (Faucheux 26, 1-12).
- Nrs. 15-16, numbered 3 and 4, belong to a series of 5 views on Paris (Faucheux 60, 1-5);
- One, nr. 14, was probably designed to be included in the first series of our book, and is after the design of Callot (see Meaume nr. 1173ter);
- Other plates may be designed by Louis François Collignon, and others.

Contents:
1. View of a village, caption underneath: 'Vilage de Lorraine'.
2. View of a walled town, caption: 'Vilage de Lorraine'.
3. View on a castle on the top of a mountain.
4. Id. with fortifications at the foot of the mountain.
5. 'Citadelle de Florence'; 'Silvestre delin.'.
6. Fortification: 'Portolongone'.
7. Siege of a fortification.
8. Siege of a walled castle/fortification in full action.
9. 'Veüe de Naple'.
10. Composition of a horse's head, 2 heads en profile, and a cannon.
11. Two horses in gallop.
12. Two horses in a narrow valley defended by two fortifications.
13. View on a walled city with hunting scene on the foreground; 'Israel ex.'.
14. House on a river with two hunters shooting at ducks; 'Israel excud.' (Meaume 1173ter).
15. View on the Seine at Paris with the Notre Dame in the background; numbered '4'; 'Israel ex.'.
16. Id.; numbered '3'; 'Israel ex.'.
17. 'Citadelle de Milan'; 'Silvestre delin.'.
18. 'Citadelle de Metz'; 'Silvestre delin.'.
19. View on a citadel.
20. 'Veüe de la Citadelle de montolinpe a Charleville'; 'Silvestre delin.'.
21. 'Citadelle de Marville. Divers veüe sur la Naturelle de chateau, forteresses et autre gravée par francois Noblesse pour aprendre a designé', with the address: 'A Paris chez N. Langlois ...'; 'Silvestre delin.'.
22. 'Veüe de Montmidy. Divers veue sur le Naturelle de Chateaux, forteresses et autre gravée par francois Noblesse pour aprendre a designé , with the address: 'A Paris chez N. Langlois ...'; 'Silvestre delin.'.

Both series in very good condition, with bookplate of C. Humbert pasted on inside front cover.- (Binding sl. rubbed).

Ad 1: Meaume, Rech. sur la vie et les oeuvrages de Jacques Callot (1860), nrs. 1099-1122; Thieme-Becker 5, pp. 406-8; not in Berlin Kat. Ad 2: Faucheux 26 and 60; (nr. 14: Meaume, nr. 1173bis); Thieme-Becker 31, p.35; not in BAL nor Berlin Kat.

Related Subjects: 17th Century Drawings Engravings Etchings Fortification French Italy Landscape

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