Anne ALLEN (c. 1749/50 - after 1808 or active in Paris in the 1790s): Chinoiserie - c. 1790
SOLD
Plate from the series Nouvelle Suite de Cahiers arabesques chinois a l'usage des dessinateurs et des peintres
Etching printed in colours à la poupée and with registration marks, 138 x 194 mm. IFF 1 (part of).
Very fine impression printed on laid paper. Excellent condition and very fresh. A remnant of an old mounting tab on the left edge of the sheet. Wide margins (sheet: 203 x 235 mm).
Anne Allen's colour etchings reflect two contemporary trends. First, there was the taste for chinoiserie, i.e. motifs inspired by Asian art, which found their way into European decorative arts. Then came the popularity of colour prints, for which printmakers developed or invented highly refined techniques: crayon manner, colour mezzotint, chiaroscuro woodcuts... The use of several etched plates to bring the different colours to the print requires the sheet to be registered on these different matrices, thanks to small holes on the edge of the plates. Another technique consists of inking a plate directly with several colours, using very small stumps of tightly rolled linen, known as poupées [dolls]. Both techniques can be combined, as is the case with Anne Allen's etchings. This combination enables her to achieve very subtle colours that do not blend, despite the fine details of the subject. Inking and printing require meticulous work on the part of the printer, making each impression precious and unique.
Jean-Baptiste Pillement's designs blend Asian and Rococo influences. They were very popular in the decorative arts. Anne Allen etched several series based on the designs of her husband.
Reference: Chelsea Foxwell and Anne Leonard: Awash in color: French and Japanese prints, 2012.