Untitled [Set of Two South Indian French Prints of Pondicherry]
a) Sigismond Himley after Barthelemy Lauvergne
Cours D’une Pagoda (Courtyard of a Pagoda)
1834
Later hand-coloured aquatint on paper
Print size: 9.5 x 12.25 in (24 x 31 cm)
Sheet size: 10.75 x 14 in (27 x 35.7 cm)
With mount: 17 x 20.5 in (43 x 52 cm)
b) Sigismond Himley after Francois-Edmond Paris
Entrée D’une Pagode À Pondichéry [Entrance to a Pagoda in Pondicherry]
1834
Later hand-coloured aquatint on paper
Print size: 9.5 x 12.25 in (24 x 31 cm)
Sheet size: 10.75 x 14 in (27 x 35.7 cm)
With mount: 17 x 20.5 in (43 x 52 cm)
The print features dancers performing outside the entrance gateway (gopura) of a Hindu temple at Pondicherry.
The bottom right corner of the image depicts dancers, musicians, and nattuvanar. However, it is unlikely that this performance occurred in the manner depicted by the printmaker. It is more probable that the bullock cart and palanquin, as well as the dance scene, were integrated as components of an ideal Indian tableau.
RARE view from Voyage Autour du Monde Par Les MERS De l’Inde Et de la Chine de la Corvette De Sa Majesté La Favorite Rabic Pendant Les Années 1830, 1831, 1832, pl. 11, sketched by Francois-Edmond Paris, engraved by Sigismond Himely, and under the direction of Louis Auguste de Sainson with Arthus Bertrand, editor.
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, utilizing commercial diplomacy, scientific exploration, and artistic endeavors to extend French influence, especially in South East 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 Himely (1801-1872)
Sigismond Himely was a prominent Swiss painter and viewmaker of the mid-19th century, renowned for his exceptional aquatints while active in 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.