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ANSELIN, Jean Louis (1754-1823) after Nicolas Andre MONSIAU (1754-1837)
Molière Lisant son Tartufe chez Ninon de L'Enclos
Paris: chez l'auteur rue de Savoie, circa 1810. Engraving. Printed on wove paper. State ii/ii. In good condition with the exception of being trimmed within the platemark. Image size: 18 1/2 x 27 3/4 inches. Sheet size: 22 1/2 x 30 inches.
This fascinating print, by the Parisian engraver Jean Louis Anselin, depicts Molière reading his famous comedy Tartuffe at Ninon de l'Enclos' celebrated salon.
Molière is one of the world's great comic playwrights. His ingenious plays influenced all subsequent French comedy, giving birth to a new genre of satirical comedy.
Originally known as Jean Baptiste Poquelin, he adopted Molière as his stage name when he joined the Bejart acting troupe. Madeleine Bejart was his long-standing mistress until he scandalously married Armande Bejart. Armande was either Madeleine's younger sister or her daughter, and it was rumored that Molière may have been her father. After establishing itself in Paris the company spent thirteen years traveling the provinces until they came under royal patronage and returned to the capital. Influenced by the commedia dell'arte, Molière wrote farces, comedies, masques, and ballets on short notice for the entertainment of the court. He is best known for his comedies of character in which he ridicules a vice or a type of excess by caricaturing a person who is its incarnation. His brilliant works remain some the most cherished dramas of the age, and he is remembered for his true comic genius and dry satirical wit.
In this dramatic print, Moliere is depicted reading his celebrated play Tartuffe at Ninon de l'Enclos' renowned salon. A great French beauty and wit, Ninon de l'Enclos was one of the most influential courtesans of her day. She numbered among her lovers some of the most important men of the age, and was renowned as much for her wit and beauty as for her love affairs. The scene is depicted in her celebrated Salon which brought together some of the luminaries of the period.
Nicolas Andre Monsiau was a Parisian history painter. He studied under Peyron and exhibited his grand paintings at the Salon between 1787 and 1833. Jean Louis Anselin was an accomplished engraver who made a career out of engraving large historical paintings and genre scenes. He studied the art of engraving under Augustin de Saint-Aubin, but quickly made a name for himself as a skilled engraver.
Le Blanc, Manuel de L'Amateur D'Estampes, no. 5, state ii/ii; Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs.
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#15076 $1,200.00 
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© 2002-2005 Donald A. Heald
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