Jan Piotr Norblin (1745–1830), after “The Soot Seller” (from the portfolio “Polish Costumes”). Engraving by P.-L. Debucourt. 1818 .
Etching, aquatint, colored with watercolor; 16.5 x 11 (cropped and mounted on a card measuring 27 x 19)
An engraving from the portfolio “A Collection of Various Polish Costumes,” the most important and best-known work by Jan Piotr Norblin, a French artist who worked in Poland for 30 years. Between 1804 and 1817, the artist produced a collection of approximately 100 watercolors devoted to Polish costumes. Philibert-Louis Debucourt (1755–1822), a French painter and printmaker and member of the Paris Academy, reproduced 50 selected drawings using printmaking techniques. This portfolio was published in installments in Paris beginning in 1818. The engraving was cut for printing and mounted on a sheet of paper with a handwritten description (here, the title “The Man Selling Wood”). Minor soiling from the original binding; in good condition. The entire piece is framed at 27 x 19 cm.
