Sir William Hamilton (1730–1803) - Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein (1751 /1829) - Jean-Claude - Danse de Comédiens, Danse nommée Sicinnis, Danseuses

Original engraving from an intaglio etching and burin of the 18th century, commissioned by Abbot Jean-Claude Richard de Saint-Non. They are part of the famous editorial work "Voyage pittoresque ou Description des royaumes de Naples et de Sicile", published in Paris around 1780-1785.

Lot of 3 engravings/printing plate on a single sheet, impression on laid and wove paper. Excellent inking and good preservation state, contemporaneous bicrome neoclassical coloration in contrast, traces of browning and foxing as shown in the photos. The sheet is intact with wide original margins. insured shipping via Bartolini/DPD courier. To benefit from insurance coverage, any damages to the package must be contested and reported to the courier at delivery. Otherwise, it will not be possible to activate the insurance reimbursement procedure.

Jean-Claude Richard de Saint-Non (Paris, 1727 – Paris, 1791), universally known as the abbot de Saint-Non, was a central figure of French Enlightenment culture, famous as an engraver, patron, archaeologist and traveler. He was the archetype of the eighteenth-century art amateur and linked his name inseparably to the monumental project of the Voyage pittoresque.

The abbot of Saint-Non, a man of great culture, archaeologist and refined engraver, embarked on his journey to Italy between 1759 and 1761, being struck by the beauties of the Kingdom of Naples and of Sicily. Returning to France, he decided to personally fund an immense work that could describe those lands. To do so, he recruited an exceptional team of artists, including painters Jean-Honoré Fragonard and Hubert Robert, and drew on the detailed diaries of Dominique Vivant Denon (future first director of the Louvre Museum).

The Voyage pittoresque ou Description des royaumes de Naples et de Sicile by Abbot Jean-Claude Richard de Saint-Non (published in Paris between 1781 and 1786) is considered one of the most monumental, famous and precious illustrated books of the entire 18th century. It represents the editorial apex of the Grand Tour phenomenon and the supreme expression of the Enlightenment curiosity toward the archaeological, artistic and natural patrimony of Southern Italy.