A Roubo Print Finds Its Rightful Home

At the recent Groopshop 2016’s very entertaining “Mike’s Mostly Honest Auction” I contributed a print from the group of c.1771 First Edition Roubo prints I purchased a few weeks ago.  I hoped there would be some interest in this item, and it turned out there was some spirited bidding before my friend and fellow Pavilionista and Studley exhibit volunteer  JohnH prevailed.  The outcome could not have been better as John will be a perfect steward for the print.

This is a very special artifact at several levels, not the least being related to my own scholarship on Roubo.  This plate was not only designed by Roubo — he designed all the plates for the book — but he actually engraved this plate himself!  And in all likelihood he oversaw the production of the book in person, it was that important.  So he designed the image, engraved the plate, and witnessed the print-making and binding.

Amusingly (?) even with that degree of attentiveness, this place was not aligned perfectly with the paper so the print is noticeably crooked on the page!  I suspect this imperfection only increases the value of the print.

I hope John will find the time to examine the print carefully, to notice and appreciate the hand-made paper, the still sharp plate mark impression on the paper (this picture is of another page), and the exquisite detail in the image itself.

The odds are excellent that I will be selling any surplus inventory from this group of prints once I decide which ones I want to keep and which ones I want to give as gifts.  Stay tuned.