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Set of 10 Van Mour engraving prints

Numbered set of high quality prints ready for framing

Product description

NUMBERED SET OF COPPER ENGRAVING PRINTS BY JEAN-BAPTISTE VAN MOUR

A set of 10 colour prints of Van Mour's "Greek Traditional Costumes" copper engravings. They are of superb quality, printed on fine, heavy paper and are ready for framing. The prints are stored in a portfolio with a small extra print on its front cover. The folder is made of strong carton and ties with a cloth ribbon.

The subjects of the prints are various Greeks of the 18th century, at the time of the country's occupation by the Ottoman Empire. The quality of prints and the vivid colours cannot be appreciated by the scanned pictures. They have to be seen to be believed.

Each print is 44.0cm (17.32in) high by 32.0cm (12.60in) wide. The picture area is 32.0cm (12.60in) high by 23.4cm (9.21in) wide. The small print on the cover is 12.6cm (4.96in) high by 17.5cm (6.89in) wide.

All ten prints are shown in the Product pictures section. Due to the large size of originals, the scanned pictures show part of the actual prints.

Known flaws: A small piece is missing from the upper left corner of the small print on the folder cover (see picture).

Extra feature: This set was published approximately 20 years ago by "Collector", a publisher of fine art editions. All prints are part of a limited edition of 300 sets. They are stamped and signed by the publisher on the reverse for authentication. The present set is numbered 145/300. The publisher is now out of business and that makes the set rare.

Titles of the prints are

See information on Jean-Baptiste van Mour under Additional information.

Additional information

Jean-Baptiste van Mour or Vanmour (January 9, 1671 - January 22, 1737) was a Flemish-French painter, remembered for his detailed portrayal of life in the Ottoman Empire during the Tulip Era and the rule of Sultan Ahmed III.

Van Mour was a native of Valenciennes, a Flemish town that at he time of his birth belonged to the Spanish Netherlands, but since 1678 to France. He studied art in the studio of Jacques-Albert Gιrin, and his work attracted the attention of an aristocrat and statesman of the time, Marquis Charles de Ferriol. Van Mour was invited to go to Istanbul when De Ferriol was appointed there as the French Ambassador in 1699. De Ferriol commissioned van Mour to do one hundred portraits of the local people.

In 1711 De Ferriol returned to France and van Mour worked for a variety of other diplomats. In the meantime De Ferriol published a series of one hundred engravings (after the paintings) in Recueil de cent estampes représentant différentes nations du Levant. The book had a great influence in Western Europe and was published in at least five languages.

Painting audiences with the Sultan became van Mour's speciality; he only had to change the setting and a few faces. Van Mour worked with assistants to fulfill all his obligations. In 1725 he was granted the extraordinary title of Peintre Ordinaire du Roy en Levant in recognition of both his and the Levant's importance to the French government.

In 1727 the Dutch ambassador Cornelis Calkoen asked Van Mour to record his audience with Sultan Ahmed III on canvas. Van Mour was allowed to enter the palace during these ceremonies accompanying the ambassador and his retinue; therefore, he was familiar with the special protocol that prevailed in the Ottoman court for ambassador's receptions. Calkoen took many paintings of Jean-Baptiste van Mour with him, when he was appointed as ambassador in Dresden for the Dutch Republic. In his will of 1762 the bachelor Calkoen forbade his heirs to sell the paintings, which are now part of the Rijksmuseum collection.

It is said Van Mour was buried next to Baron de Salagnac in the graveyard of the Jesuit Church of St Louis in the district of Galata.

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_van_Mour

Product pictures

Outside cover of folder


Inside cover of folder


Closing ribbon of folder


Dame Grecque dans son Apartement


File de St. Jean de Patmos, Isle de l' Archipel


Fille de Chio, Isle de l' Archipel


Fille de l' Argentiere, Isle de l' Archipel


Fille de Naxis, Isle de l' Archipel


Fille de Tine, Isle de l' Archipel


Grec des Isles de l' Archipel joüant du Taboura


Leventi ou Soldat de Marine


Soldat Albanois


Novi ou Fille Grecque dans la Cérémonie du Mariage