Pierre Nivelle, Bishop of Lucon
Charles Meryon (1821-1868), Pierre Nivelle, Bishop of Lucon (1584-1660), 1861, etching on tin, after an engraving by Michel Lasne (1590-1667). Reference: Schneiderman 76, (fifth state (of 5), Delteil-Wright 81 (fifth state (of seven). In very good condition (remains of prior hinging verso), on a full sheet with wide margins, printed on laid paper with a partial coat of arms watermark with letters AM. With extensive inscriptions (in the plate) surrounding the portrait, and toward the bottom of the composition, naming the sitter, his dates, dating the etching, and with the artist’s mark and initials. 6 1/4 x 4 3/8, the sheet 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches.
Provenance:
Henrich Stennes (1867-1932), with his stamp recto (Lugt 4436)
Alfred Barrion (1842-1903), with his stamp recto (Lugt 76)
Unidentified collector, with stamp recto (orange Centaur in oval, not found in Lugt)
A fine, crisp impression of this rarely encountered etching.
Meryon wrote:”After a splendid engraving by Michel Lasne…The surrounding framework has been composed with the aid of various data furnished by Monsieur Benjamin Fillon, and also from my own conjectures of the personage.”