Price: $675.00
SKU: 102491
ARTIST: Claude Louis Desrais
PUBLISHER: Published in Paris by Basset
MEDIUM: Stipple engraving, printed in color and finished by hand.
DATE: 1792.
EDITION SIZE: Oval 7 1/8 x 5 3/4" (18.2 x 14.5 cm)
DESCRIPTION: Engraved by Citoyenne F. Montaland after a drawing by Claude Louis Desrais. A bust portrait of Benjamin Franklin, facing slightly left, set in an oval frame. Printed in color, a la poupee, a intaglio printmaking technique for making color prints by applying different ink colors to a single printing plate using ball-shaped wads of cloth, one for each color. The paper has just one run through the press, but the inking needs to be carefully re-done after each impression is printed. Each impression usually varies at least slightly, sometimes very significantly. This is a time-consuming process that is often used to make special or deluxe imprints. This portrait of Franklin, when usually found, is most often found printed in one color only, black. This portrait is considered to be rare in either version, it is especially so when printed in color.<br><br> Desrais' work was adapted from the 1777 portrait by Charles Nicolas Cochin but was altered to fit the current political climate and taste. To conform to the populist leanings of the French Revolution, Madame Montaland softened Franklin's images by changing his clothing to look more like a commoner and his face more passive. Gone are the trapping of French royal society <br><br> Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) is considered one of America's greatest founding fathers. A highly intelligent man, Franklin was an able scientist, writer, printer and publisher. He was one of the most successful diplomats that the United States ever had. During the Revolutionary War, he acted as American Minister to France, successfully gaining French support for the American cause. He was also the only person who signed all four of the key documents in American history: The Declaration of Independence; The Treaty of Alliance with France; The Treaty of Peace with Great Britain; and The Constitution of the United States.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Framed in a "compo" gold molding with toned French mat making for a overall handsome presentation. Overall framed size 12.5 x 10.35 inches.
CONDITION: Fair to good condition. This print was cut to the oval, removing the title but keeping the artist and engravers imprints. Likely done in the period to fit into a frame. A fine impression.
REFERENCE: Cresswell, The American Revolution in drawings and prints; a checklist of 1765-1790. #79 (B/W only); Sellers, Benjamin Franklin in Portraiture, p. 229.
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