Untitled [Set of Two South Indian French prints]

a) Sigismond Himley after Barthelemy Lauvergne
Madras
Circa 1830
Later hand-coloured aquatint on paper
Print Size: 10.5 x 14 in (26.8 x 35.5 cm)
With Mount: 17 x 20.5 in (42.8 x 52 cm)

From the official accounts of the voyage of La Favorite under the command of the French navigator Cyrille Pierre Théodore Laplace (1793-1875) on his circumnavigation of the globe.

b) Sigismond Himely after Barthelemy Lauvergne
Pondichery
Circa 1830
Later hand-coloured aquatint on paper
Print Size: 10.75 x 14.25 in (27.2 x 36 cm)
With Mount: 17.75 x 21.25 in (45 x 53.8 cm)

La Favorite was among the fleet of ships dispatched by France during the 1820s and 1830s, aiming to rival similar expeditions launched by other nations. These journeys were driven by political and territorial ambitions, utilising commercial diplomacy, scientific exploration, and artistic endeavors to extend French influence, especially in Southeast Asia, as a counter to British interests.

Barthelemy Lauvergne (1805-1871)
Barthelemy Lauvergne was a French painter renowned for his captivating maritime and landscape artworks, flourishing in the mid-19th century. He joined the French naval officer Jules Sebastien Cesar Dumont d’Urville (1790-1842) aboard the L’Astrolabe (1826-1829), Cyrille Pierre Theodore Laplace (1793-1875) on La Favorite (1830-1832), and Auguste-Nicolas Vaillant (1793-1858) on La Bonite (1836-1837).

Sigismond Himley (1801–1872)
Sigismond Himley was born into an artistic family in La Neuveville, Switzerland. He was a painter, draughtsman, and engraver. He was primarily recognized for his landscape compositions in aquatint and watercolour. He was a student of Friedrich Wilhelm Moritz in Neuchâtel and Couleru in La Neuveville. In 1822, he accompanied Jean-Frédéric d'Ostervald to Paris as his student to pursue aquatint. He frequently collaborated with d'Osterwald to publish his compositions. Subsequently, he pursued engraving instruction from Thales Fielding. Himley became a French national and established himself in Paris. He produced numerous engravings featuring panoramic views of Switzerland and exhibited a certain level of talent. Additionally, he emulated the works of contemporary masters. He highly prioritised chromolithography and lithography in his later years. Between 1824 and 1870, he consistently exhibited at the salon. He passed away in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris.

Louis Auguste de Sainson
Louis Auguste de Sainson, a prominent French artist, lithographer and engraver, lived from 1800 to 1877. He served as a draughtsman on the Astrolabe during its global circumnavigation from 1826 to 1829, dedicating nearly five years to produce the prints for the publication of its expedition narrative.

François-Edmond (1806-1893)
François-Edmond, born in Paris in 1806, he was the son of a French government administrator. At just 14 years old, he embarked on his journey at the Angouleme Naval Academy in 1820. From 1822 to 1824, he honed his painting skills under the guidance of French Navy artists Pierre-Julien Gilbert (1783-1860) and Pierre Ozanne (1737-1813), renowned for their precise and dynamic depictions of ships and naval conflicts. In 1826, Paris embarked on a remarkable naval career, starting as a young officer on France’s final and most illustrious scientific voyage of discovery, the Astrolabe expedition led by Captain Dumont d’Urville. He was set to embark on another Pacific voyage with Laplace aboard the Favorite.

Throughout his journeys across the Pacific, Paris meticulously recorded every kind of sailing vessel he came across. He created detailed plans and illustrations of indigenous watercraft from diverse locations, including Senegal, the Seychelles, India, Malaysia, the Strait of Malacca, Vietnam, China, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, Chile, and Brazil. He illustrated canoes from Greenland, Arab dhows, Chinese junks, Malay proas, and Pacific outriggers.

Following his retirement from the Navy in 1871, he assumed the role of curator at the Musee National de la Marine, a position he maintained until his passing in 1893.

(Set of two)

This lot will be shipped unframed.

NON-EXPORTABLE

This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as reference for the condition.