Late 18th Century Deuxième Suite De Chevaux d’Après Carle & Horace Vernet (Gabriel Lavache) No 17, Framed

Lithograph No. 17 from the series of lithographs depicting horses of all kinds drawn by Carle and Horace Vernet and engraved by Gabriel Levachez. Paris, rue St Lazare, Chaussee d’Antin, No. 42 nd [1794-1807] ink on paper. Matted, framed in wood & under glass (glazed).

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Background:

Very rare horse engraving. This lithograph is No. 17 from a set created from 58 plates engraved on copper with the title of the series in legend, under silent serpents , numbered 1-55 and 1-3. Half green vellum with corners, silent spine, marbled brown paper boards (contemporary binding).
Scattered freckles; pronounced stains across the work [from age].

It consists of a title decorated with a vignette engraved by Levachez after Carle and Horace Vernet representing horses and riders from Europe or the Orient.

The original 60 plates making up the original work appeared in the form of 5 suites of 12 engravings; they were offered in black on vellum paper or in color on satin paper.
21 boards of the original boards are devoted to hunting:

4. A Hunting Horse and a Little Horse . – 5. The Hunting Gallop . – 13. Hunting scene. – 14. Departure for the hunt . – 15. Galloping huntsman . – 16. Amazon hunting . – 17. Hunter and dogs crossing a stream . – 18. The Shooting Hunter . – 25. Hunter at the edge of a pond . – 26. Duck hunting . – 29. The Fox’s Catch . – 34. Hare hunting, on horseback . – 35. Amazon hunting. – 36. The Unhorsed Huntsman . – 43. The Stop at the Barrier . – 44. On the way to the hunt . – 45 . Horseback Shooting . – 46. Hunter reloading his weapon . – 47. The Hunter’s Rest . – 48. The Return of the Hunter . – 52. Huntsman blowing his trumpet.

The last three plates, engraved in aquatint by Levachez after Carle Vernet, belong to another series entitled “Suite of various horses of race”: 1. The Vizier Arab horse . – 2. Wild horse . – 3. Norwegian horse .

The 55 plates of the first suite were hand-colored; sometimes with gold highlights.

“l.. especially in color, is one of the most beautiful productions of Carle and Horace Vernet. […] It is almost impossible to find a complete series in color today, as print dealers and amateurs have taken it upon themselves to cut up the copies” (Thiébaud).

This hypothesis was also anticipated by the artists and the engraver, who announced in the title of the original album: “the black or colored prints can also be placed under glass, for the decoration of apartments”.

References : Thiébaud, 927-928.