Edgar Chahine (1874-1947), Gigolette, drypoint, 1924, signed in pencil. Tabanelli 399, from the edition of 50 proofs. Only state.  On a china applique on wove, in very good condition, with full margins, 12 1/2 x 8 3/4, the sheet 19 x 13 inches; archival mounting.

A fine fresh impression printed in dark brown ink, with substantial drypoint burr and carefully placed plate tone. The plate has been wiped more cleanly on the blouse and face of Gigolette, giving these areas a luminous quality.

Edgar Chahine was born in Venice, to Armenian parents, and spent his youth in Constantinople. He moved to Paris in 1895, where he began making prints. Through his objective portrayal of the petite bourgeois, Chahine gave us a portrait of an era.

One popular aspect of his work centers on the elegant ladies of the Fin de Siecle,  but he also portrayed shopkeepers, farmers, café habitues, performers; Gigolette is surely a Venetian subject. Chahine’s landscapes and seascapes show the influence of Whistler, then a printmaking icon. A fire in Chahine’s studio, and a flood in 1942, account for the rarity of his work.

Edgar Chahine (1874-1947), drypoint,  Le Ciacolone (Les Bavardes), Venise, 1922, signed, titled and numbered (74/100) in pencil. Reference: Tabanelli 348, third state of three, from the edition of 100.  On a green laid paper with a letters watermark.  With small margins, 12 1/2 x 8 1/2 (the sheet 13 1/2 x 10).  In generally good condition apart from nicks and remains of old hinging right margin edge; fold at lower right; the image surface excellent, archival mounting.

A fine atmospheric impression, printed in brownish/black ink on an old green laid paper, with a veil of plate tone but carefully wiped to create areas of light (e.g., the blouse of the woman at left), and with ink left on the plate to create areas of shadow (e.g., lower left).  The very heavy burr from the drypoint work gives the print a satiny glow.

Les Bavardes was created at a propitious moment in Chahine’s career – he had recently married Julia Gaumet, had left Paris and traveled through France and down to Venice. At the height of his artistic powers (and about to receive much recognition back in Paris), his Venice portraits of this time are quite different from his earlier Belle Epoque work – he portrayed women with children, little known Venetian alleys and courtyards, and, as in this example, older Venetian women talking in the streets.

Edgar Chahine (1874-1947), Ginette, drypoint, 1915, signed in pencil lower left, titled lower right, and numbered (19/50). Reference: Tabanelli 333, only state. In very good condition, the full sheet with wide margins (a crease near margin edge left, slight toning); 8 1/2 x 12 1/2, the sheet 12 1/4 x 19 1/2 inches, archival matting.

A fine impression of this rare print, printed in lush black ink with much satiny burr from the drypoint work, printed with a subtle layering of plate tone especially toward the bottom.

Tabanelli notes that he does not know the edition size of this plate, that the only impressions he has seen were not numbered, and that this plate is “rare.” This suggests that in fact the print was not editioned (despite the numbering). We do not know of any other impressions to come onto the market during the past 15 years.

Ginette is one of Chahine’s great portraits in the Belle Epoque style.

Edgar Chahine (1874-1947), Ada, 1901, drypoint, signed in pencil lower left also initials, dated and titled in the plate] Reference: Tabanelli 65, second state (of 2). In very good condition, with full margins, on cream wove paper, 7 1/4 x 13, the sheet 14 x 22 inches. Archival mounting with window mat.

A very fine impression of this important Fin de Siecle Belle Epoque masterpiece, surely Chahine’s greatest portrait. With a rich drypoint burr on Ada’s fur and hat, and a subtle layer of plate tone over her dress and divan; her face and parts of the hat have been wiped carefully to heighten her appearance.

Chahine, unlike his contemporary portrait specialists such as Zorn or Helleu, addressed social issues and people of varying social classes in his etchings. It is perhaps his greater depth, and his ability to portray a wide range of subject matter, that enables him to convey the intelligence and insight of Ada, as well as her beauty, in the apparent context of a traditional Belle Epoque drypoint.