Jean-François JANINET
(1752 – Paris – 1814)
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Ière vue de Paris, prise du Pont Royal [1st view of Paris, taken from the Pont Royal] - 1782
After Pierre-Antoine Demachy (French, 1722 – 1807)
Colour engraving on laid paper. Proof before all letters. Colour registration holes visible on the sides in the margins.
Size of sheet: 47.5 x 64.7 cm.
IFF 12 :176.
Beautiful impression before letters. Some light foxing and 2 tears in the margins, professionally repaired. Rare.
Jean-François Janinet: 1ère vue de Paris, prise du Pont Royal
This is a view of the Seine from the Pont-Royal, with Louvre on the left and Pont-Neuf crossing the river in the distance. Demachy managed not only to record the topography of the place but also animate the image with many events happening at the same time while Janinet created a brilliant print with beautiful fresh colours using a recently invented method of aquatint.
The print was advertised in the 'Gazette de France' on the 4 January 1782; then the collaboration between Janinet and Demachy seems to have ended, as Janinet's following Views of Paris were engraved after Durand and published by Esnauts and Rapilly around 1787.