Adoration of the Shepherds
Friday, April 9th, 2021
Adoration of the Shepherds after Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640), engraved by Pierre-Franois Basan (French, 1723-1797), engraving, c. 1750, in black on ivory laid paper, 282 x 200 mm., with small margins. In very good condition.
A fine proof impression, before letters. A draft printing of letters is visible, lower left, below image: “Rubens”; in lower right: “F. Basan excudit” (in pencil).
Basan’s engraving after Rubens may be modeled after another engraving of the Adoration after Rubens by Theodor Galle (1571-1633), which appeared as an illustration to the 1618 reprint of 1616 edition of “Missale Romanum” (Antwerp: 1618); this version, very close to the Basan rendition, was probably based on a drawing by Rubens.