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[Clowns.]
[Clowns.]
Cumming. 7. [pencil.]
[n.d., c.1940.]
Etching, signed by the artist. 235 x 185mm, 9¼ x 7¼".
Beatrice Cumming (American, 1903-74).
[Ref: 11972]   £150.00   (£180.00 incl.VAT)
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[A comedy.]
[A comedy.]
Imp. Bertauts, Paris [c.1850].
Lithograph on india laid paper, image 135 x 240mm. 5¼ x 9½". Sheet foxed.
Three comic actors performing on stage dressed as harlequins/clowns. With collector's blindstamp of Adolphe Moreau below dated 1851, and stamped with number 'II' upper left corner of sheet. Moreau's collection of 19th century French paintings compiled in the 1840s was augmented between 1898 and 1906 by Impressionist works bought by his grandson Etienne Moreau-Nélaton, the painter and art historian. The entire collection was given to the French state in 1906 and divided between the Musée du Louvre and Musée d'Orsay.
[Ref: 10416]   £180.00   (£216.00 incl.VAT)
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Comic Dance in the Popular Pantomine of the white Cat
Comic Dance in the Popular Pantomine of the white Cat by Mess.rs Kirby & Chatterley to the Tune of the Bold Dragoon.
Drawn & Etched by W. Heath.
pub 5th of Jan.y 1812 by T. Palser Bridge Road Lambeth.
Coloured etching. 240 x 345mm (9½ x 13½"). Large margins on 3 sides.
A scene of two clowns, James Kirby (died 1826) in drag & William Simmons Chatterley (1787-1822) with white face and red triangles, the signature look of Joseph Grimaldi's 'Joey' clown.
[Ref: 33086]   £260.00   (£312.00 incl.VAT)
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Galerie Théâtrale / Gandolin
Galerie Théâtrale / Gandolin (Troupe du Marais) / ((Année 1634) / Gandolin par sa Réthorique / Nous fait la rate épanouir [...]
Delacluse del. Prud'hon Sculp.t. Ecrit par Beaublé. Imprimé par Langlois
Déposé à la Direct.on de la Librairie. [n.d., c.1810]
Stipple printed in colour with large margins, platemark 285 x 220mm (11¼ x 8½").
Gandolin, celebrated comic actor at the Théâtre du Marais in the 17th century, with verses below paying tribute to his ability. He specialised in playing a role similar to that of Harlequin.
Harvard 2.
[Ref: 35594]   £160.00   (£192.00 incl.VAT)
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The Favourite Comic Dance.
The Favourite Comic Dance. By Mess, rs Bologna Jun.r. and Grimaldi, In the Popular Pantomime of Mother Goose.
Published March 15, 1807 at R. Ackermanns, No.101 Strand London.
Rare hand-colouring etching. Sheet 320 x 270mm (12½ x 10½"). Tear at the top centre and creasing across the top and lower centre.
Grimaldi and Monsieurs Bologna hold hands, dancing, heads turned away from one another, in the pantomime Mother Goose. Early clown image.
Not in George BM Satires.
[Ref: 63155]   £360.00  
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Grimaldi's, Bold Dragoon.
Grimaldi's, Bold Dragoon. In the Popular Pantomime of the Red Dwarf.
[William Heath.]
[Published by Thomas Palser, n.d., c.1812.]
Rare hand-colouring etching on 18th century watermarked paper. Verso in ink "J Paul from Ackermanns 44 King St Covent Garden" dealer's stamp. Sheet 350 x 255mm (13¾ x 10"). Tear at the top centre. Trimmed.
The clown Grimaldi dressed as a hussar with huge boots and hat, brandishing a sword, threatening a man in wig in eighteenth-century costume. Early clown image.
Not in George BM Satires. 1948.0214.769
[Ref: 63154]   £360.00  
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Grimaldi & the Nondescript in the Red Dwarf.
Grimaldi & the Nondescript in the Red Dwarf. The Clown kills the Pantaloon and afterwards Dresses him in the Skin of a Lion, the Head of an Ass, Eagles Wings, Cats feet & a Fishes tail.
W. Heath Del.
[n.d., c.1810.]
Very rare hand-coloured etching. Sheet 350 x 255mm (13¾ x 10"). Tear on lower right. Trimmed.
Joseph Grimaldi (1778 – 1837) in a scene from the pantomime The Red Dwarf. Grimaldi faces the pantaloon, who is on all fours dressed in a lion's skin, ass's head, eagle's wings, cat's feet and a fish's tail. An early clown image.
Not in Georges BM Satire.
[Ref: 63153]   £320.00  
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Mr. Grimaldi as Clown.
Mr. Grimaldi as Clown. In the Popular new Pantomime of Mother Goose.
Published Feb. 14. 1807, by S. De Wilde No.9 Tavistock Row, Covent Garden. [n.d., c.1807.]
Very rare hand-coloured etching. 310 x 245mm (12 x 9½"). Small tear and staining right of title.
A portrait of Joseph Grimaldi, as the clown in 'Mother Goose'; whole length, standing, holding a halter, and a letter inscribed 'Sir, I'll just trouble you with a line'; his hair in a blue mohawk, wearing striped breeches. "Price 2.6 colour'd". Early clown image.
Not in George BM Satire.
[Ref: 63152]   £380.00  
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[Grimaldi's Tandem in the Comic Pantomime of the 'Golden Fish'.]
[Grimaldi's Tandem in the Comic Pantomime of the 'Golden Fish'.]
[William Heath 'Paul Pry' del.t.]
[n.d., c.1812.]
Very rare hand-coloured etching. 310 x 245mm (12 x 9½"). Small tear on lower edge. Two small worm holes. Trimmed.
A portrait of Grimaldi, the comic actor sits in a wicker tandem cart and is drawn across the stage by dogs in a pantomime scene. Early clown image.
[Ref: 63151]   £380.00  
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Arlequin. kHeb de Eijeren kelck, hum zel ze ook zelf uitbroei, Zie, zie drie Tongen zyn reeds uit den dop gekropen…Chile. Hoc Arlequin! wat's dit zit je op het broeinest, maat?...Want Gekken kunnon niet dan Jonge Gekken kweken.
Arlequin. kHeb de Eijeren kelck, hum zel ze ook zelf uitbroei, Zie, zie drie Tongen zyn reeds uit den dop gekropen…Chile. Hoc Arlequin! wat's dit zit je op het broeinest, maat?...Want Gekken kunnon niet dan Jonge Gekken kweken. 6.
[n.d. c.1770.]
Etching and engraving with large margins. Plate 230 x 210mm (9 x 8¼"). Creasing.
Two Harlequins, one sat in a basket with three babies; and the other leaning foward to embrace him.
[Ref: 30051]   £260.00   (£312.00 incl.VAT)
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Galerie Théâtrale / Jaquemin-Jadot
Galerie Théâtrale / Jaquemin-Jadot (Théâttre de l'hotel de Bourgogne) / ((Année 1634) / Jacquemin avec sa posture, / Sa grimace et son action [...]
Couré del. Prud'hon Sculp.t. Ecrit par Beaublé. Imprimé par Langlois
Déposé à la Direct.on de la Librairie. [n.d., c.1810]
Stipple printed in colour with large margins, platemark 285 x 220mm (11¼ x 8½").
François Mestivier, celebrated farceur in 17th century France, who played farce as Jacquemin-Jadot. Verses below paying tribute to his ability.
Not in Harvard.
[Ref: 35595]   £160.00   (£192.00 incl.VAT)
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Mesetin.
Mesetin.
[Martin Engelbrecht., c.1740.]
Original hand coloured etching and engraving, 235 x 155mm. 9¼ x 6". Stain from verso form colouring to another character.
A harlequin in the Commedia dell'arte. By Martin Engelbrecht (1684 - 1756), engraver and publisher in Augsburg.
From the collection of Cecil Bisshopp Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth.
[Ref: 9724]   £160.00   (£192.00 incl.VAT)
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[The Mummer.]
[The Mummer.]
Joseph Simpson. [signed in pencil].
[n.d. c.1927].
Etching, edition limited to 75. 300 x 210mm (11¾ x 8¼").
The term 'mummers' has been used since medieval times to describe performers of several different kinds, usually in broadly comic performances in rhyme. Joseph Simpson [1879 - 1939], painter and etcher of portraits and sporting subjects. He was born in Carlisle and studied art at Glasgow School of Art. He became a close friend of D.Y. Cameron and was elected RBA in 1909. Simpson designed covers for Edinburgh publishers and was a prolific designer of bookplates. In 1918 he became an official war artist for the RAF and was stationed in France. Simpson was already forty-five when he took up etching in 1925, at the height of the boom period for the medium. His first twenty or so plates were etched with a gramophone needle and printed by the artist himself on the small press lent to him by a local Carlisle printing firm. His first exhibition of etchings took place in Glasgow at Wishart Brown in March 1926. His friend Frank Brangwyn wrote the catalogue introduction. A second highly successful show was staged in November 1926 by Alex, Reid and Lefevre in London. Simpson exhibited in Munich, Venice, Florence & Stockholm.
[Ref: 5535]   £240.00   (£288.00 incl.VAT)
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Pierrot.
Pierrot. Collection Grevin.
[***] Londres, S. Miller, 37 Tavistock St. Imp. Becquet à Paris. pv. [n.d., 1870]
Tinted lithograph. Sheet 315 x 240mm (12¼ x 9½"). Toning in margins.
A traditional pierrot, dressed in white with a black mask over his eyes and nose. Miller published 'Costumes de théâtre: catalogue des collections des costumes de théâtres' in 1894.
[Ref: 38829]   £75.00   (£90.00 incl.VAT)
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Pierrot.
Pierrot.
C.P.S. Mai. Mart. Enelbrecht A.V. [n.d., c.1740.]
Original hand coloured etching and engraving, 240 x 155mm. 9½ x 6". Some soiling; lower right corner of sheet missing.
In the Commedia dell'arte, Pedrolino, or Pierrot in French pantomime, is a servant dressed in white. Here he carries a musket over his shoulder, some hunting trophies hanging from his belt. By Martin Engelbrecht (1684 - 1756), engraver and publisher in Augsburg. Numbered '5' upper right.
From the collection of Cecil Bisshopp Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth.
[Ref: 9723]   £220.00   (£264.00 incl.VAT)
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[La Sculpture.]
[La Sculpture.]
E. Sadzeyt.
[n.d. c.1880.]
Coloured lithograph. 232 x 151mm. 9 x 6".
A Harlequin creating his masterpiece out of stone. Other statues sit on shelves on the wall. A palette sticks out his left pocket. A laurel reef leans up against the stool that he sits on.
[Ref: 14544]   £140.00   (£168.00 incl.VAT)
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[L'Automne.]
[L'Automne.]
E. Sadzeyt.
[n.d. c.1840.]
Coloured lithograph. 232 x 151mm. 9 x 6". Some scuffing to the image.
A harlequin imitating Dionysis with a head-reef of grapes, leaning against a barrel with a basket of grapes over one arm, a bottle of wine in his hand, and grapes flowing out his pocket.
[Ref: 14543]   £130.00   (£156.00 incl.VAT)
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[La Foise.]
[La Foise.]
E. Sadzeyt.
[n.d. c.1840.]
Coloured lithograph. 230 x 151mm. 9 x 6". Cut and laid on separate sheet.
A harlequin imitating the great writers of past with a laurel head-piece of Roman times, and papers around him, cigarettes in the ashtray and publications on the wall.
[Ref: 14542]   £140.00   (£168.00 incl.VAT)
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[La Peinture.]
[La Peinture.]
E. Sadzeyt.
[n.d. c.1880.]
Coloured lithograph. 230 x 151mm. 9 x 6". Cut and laid on separate sheet.
A harlequin engrossed in painting a rustic Dutchman on this canvas.
[Ref: 14541]   £140.00   (£168.00 incl.VAT)
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Italian Scaramouch.
Italian Scaramouch.
Drawn by A. Crowquill.
Printed by Dean & Munday. [London, c.1835.]
Lithograph on india laid paper, sheet 375 x 275mm. 14¾ x 10¾".
A participant in a Venice masked ball as Scaramouche. Scaramuccia, also known as Scaramouche, is a stock character in 17th century Italian farce. He is usually portrayed as a buffoon or boastful clown (in this latter capacity he can be considered a smaller derivative of Il Capitano). The character was invented by a 17th century Italian actor, Tiberio Fiorilli. By Alfred Henry Forrester, best known under the name of Alfred Crowquill (1804 - 1872). In 1822 Forrester wrote for the Hive and in 1823 for the Mirror. He next applied himself to the study of drawing and modelling, as well as to wood and steel engraving. He was also the writer of burlesques, drew pantomimic extravaganzas for the pictorial papers, and exhibited pen-and-ink sketches in the miniature room of the Royal Academy in 1845 and 1846. For a time he contributed sketches to ‘Punch,' where his work will be found in vols. ii. iii. and iv., and then went over to the ‘Illustrated London News' as a member of the literary and pictorial staff. As a writer and illustrator of his own writings he was very popular; upwards of twenty works came from his pen, many of them being children's books. For some years the London pantomimes were indebted to him for designs, devices, and effects. In 1851 he modelled a statuette of the Duke of Wellington, which he produced a fortnight before the duke's death and presented to Queen Victoria and the allied sovereigns. At the time when he originally started as an artist there was not much competition, and he consequently found constant work. His works have enjoyed a considerable amount of popularity.
[Ref: 13568]   £160.00   (£192.00 incl.VAT)
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Skeggs, In the Character of Seignor Bumbasto.
Skeggs, In the Character of Seignor Bumbasto.
Tho.s King pinx.t. Rich.d Houston fecit.
Sold by the proprietors M. Jackson the corner of Bride Court, in fleetstreet, & M. Skeggs at the Hoop and bunch of Grapes in St Albans Street. [London, c.1752.]
Rare mezzotint. 355 x 250mm (14 x 9¾"). Narrow margins, vertical crease on left. Laid down on card.
Portrait of Matthew Skeggs (d.1773), proprietor of the Hoop and Bunch of Grapes (a public house in St Albans Street). He also performed in a burlesque called 'Mother Midnight's Oratorio' at the Haymarket, in which he 'played' a concerto on a broomstick, making the sound of the instrument with his mouth. Horace Walpole saw the 'Oratorio' in 1752, calling it the 'lowest buffoonery in the world'.
Chaloner Smith: 111, iii of iii.
[Ref: 61543]   £290.00   (£348.00 incl.VAT)
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