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54
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French school of the 19th century
Witchcraft scene, Monogram…
See original version (French)
54
-
French school of the 19th century
Witchcraft scene, Monogram…
See original version (French)
Estimate €800 - €1,200
Voluntary lot
Description
French school of the 19th century
Witchcraft scene, Monogrammed E de B and dated 1824
Pen and brown ink and brown ink wash on paper
This drawing of a magician in his circle surrounded by fantastic creatures is a perfect illustration of dark romanticism.
The term "dark romanticism", coined in 1930 by Mario Praz, refers to an aesthetic of anguish, the macabre and the fantastic that developed in literature and the arts from the end of the 18th century onwards. This trend, which exacerbated the darker side of Romanticism, was characterised by a fascination with melancholy, madness, crime and, as in this case, the supernatural.
It has its origins in the British Gothic novel and was popularised in literature by writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Nodier and Gérard de Nerval, and in painting by painters such as Johann Heinrich Füssli, Caspar David Friedrich, Francisco Goya, and even Eugène Delacroix with his illustrations for Faust, Tragedy by M. Goethe in 1827. The latter two also inspired many illustrators of the same period.
Our drawing is reminiscent of illustrations by Tony Johannot (1803-1954) or Jean-Jacques Grandville (1803-1847) for fantasy literature, or Edouard de Beaumont for Le diable amoureux in the second half of the century. This drawing is an early example of an iconography that continues to fascinate us today, and is used in contemporary works such as the fantasy films of Tim Burton and Guillermo del Toro.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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