Der grosse Canal

Beautiful view of Venice by William French (1815 - 1898) from a subject by Lake Price (1810-1896), who in 1843 produced a series of views of Venice that he published under the title of Interiors and Exteriors in Venice, printed at the London in 1843.

"Having, during a three years' tour in Italy, been struck with the gorgeous magnificence of the Interiors of the Palaces and Churches of Venice, and considering that, though they were to Englishmen peculiarly interesting, as connected with some of the grandest conceptions of our greatest poets and authors, no representations of these magnificent scenes had been published, I determined to devote myself to the collection of studies of them, and for that purpose resided in Venice during a period of eighteen months." - Lake Price, from the introduction. Price, once an apprentice to the English Gothic Revival architect Augustus Pugin, embarked on a remarkable journey to Italy that would lead him away from his architectural aspirations and into the realm of art. His transition to watercolor painting, photography, and lithography unveiled an unbounded talent, and his architectural background gave his artistic creations an informed perspective, allowing Price to capture beauty and structure in each stroke. The art world took notice, and Price's drawings graced the esteemed halls of the Royal Academy from 1828 to 1832. It was his later affiliation with the London Photographic Society, from 1855 to 1860, that cemented his position as a revered figure in the artistic domain. The printmaker Joseph Nash, author of The Mansions of England in the Olden Time (1839-49), was a luminary in the fields of English watercoloring, painting, and lithography. Nash was known for meticulously portraying historical buildings, suffusing them with a vibrancy that transcended the limitations of the print medium. Nash's masterful renderings of historical buildings entwine seamlessly with Price's evocative depictions of Venetian interiors and exteriors, forming a cohesive visual aesthetic and approach that captures the grandeur of European architectural heritage. Abbey has a note suggesting Nash used Charles Hullmandel's stump technique to produce tinted lithographs that "nearly equal the pencil [i.e. watercolor brush] in color . . . indeed it may be called painting on stone." But a close examination of the plates shows hand-finishing and heightening. A list of plates is available upon request.

Etching with fine later hand colour, very good condition. German edition.