Paolo Mercuri Sold at Auction Prices

copperplate engraver, Portrait painter

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    • P. MERCURI (*1804) after DELAROCHE (*1797), The execution of Lady Jane Gray, around 1858, Steel engr
      Jul. 06, 2024

      P. MERCURI (*1804) after DELAROCHE (*1797), The execution of Lady Jane Gray, around 1858, Steel engr

      Est: €2,250 - €3,000

      Paolo Mercuri (1804 Rom - 1884 Bucharest) after Paul Delaroche (1797 Paris - 1856 ibid.): The execution of Lady Jane Gray, c. 1858, Steel engraving Technique: Steel engraving on Paper Inscription: At the lower part signed in the printing plate: "Peint par Paul De la Roche / Gravé par P. Mercuri.". At the lower part inscribed in the printing plate: "Tiré de la Galerie du Prince Anatole Demidoff / Imprimé par Goupil & Cie á Paris". Date: c. 1858 Description: Since the Thames flood of 1928, Paul Delaroche's dramatic history painting was considered lost until it was rediscovered in 1973 and is now one of the most popular exhibits at the National Gallery in London. The Execution of Lady Jane Grey is regarded as Delaroche's masterpiece, which expressively captures the historicising scene of the execution of the English "Queen of Nine Days" Jane Grey (1536-1554). As the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII Tudor, Jane Grey was patronised at a young age and brought up to be an educated lady who cultivated the Protestant faith and, not least for this reason, was preferred to his sister Mary in the line of succession to the throne by the last will of King Edward VI. Just nine days after her proclamation, however, she was captured and executed by the latter. She was soon perceived as a martyr and victim of her cousin Queen Mary I Tudor, especially among the followers of the Protestant faith. Delaroche, who is known for his rather gloomy history paintings that more often epitomise decline than triumph, may have been inspired by Madame de Staël's drama Jane Grey, published in 1790. The translation of Harris Nicolas' The Literary Remains of Lady Jane Grey from 1825 also made the cult-like veneration of Jane Grey tangible in France. The subject of royal executions still had a contemporary historical relevance in France, particularly in view of the beheading of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI as a result of the French Revolution, and Delaroche was also concerned with its pictorial realisation. Over a period of many years, Delaroche studied the fate of the "Nine-Day Queen" and travelled to England himself to experience the scene of the event for himself. Only this willingness to research and an enthusiastic dedication to the subject matter could have led to the creation of this gripping oil painting. For the basic constellation of figures, Delaroche orientated himself on John Opie's engraving Execution of Mary Stuart and transferred the hitherto rare motif of the execution itself to the depiction of Jane Grey. Carefully selected figures, who are able to express a variety of different emotions in their postures and expressions, stand around Jane Grey, who is condemned to death and gropes for the execution block with blindfolded eyes and uncertain gestures. The sensitively composed iconography owes its depth to the artist's intensive examination of the fate of the heir to the throne and the preparation of the painting through countless sketches and drafts, but also demonstrates artistic freedom and an orientation towards dramatic theatre. With comparably high standards, Delaroche criticised his contemporaries for the often imprecise production of engraved reproductions of their paintings and therefore attached great importance to the high-quality dissemination of his own works. For The Execution of Jane Grey, it is known that he concluded a contract with the publisher Adolphe Goupil as early as 1835, which assured him of the high quality of the reproductions. The collaboration with the engraver Paolo Mercuri soon began, but was not finalised until the middle of the century. The easy legibility of the painting and the clear constellation of figures offered the best conditions for its realisation as a print, but also inspired theatre plays and tableaux vivants, which bear witness to the painting's enduring popularity to this day. Keywords: Thames Flood of 1928; History painting; Paul Delaroche; National Gallery in London; Execution of Lady Jane Grey; Nine Days' Queen; Jane Grey; King Henry VII; Tudor; Protestant faith; Succession to the throne; Queen Mary I; Tudor; Madame de Staël; Harris Nicolas; The Literary Remains of Lady Jane Grey; French Revolution; Marie Antoinette; King Louis XVI; ; Constellation of figures; John Opie's engraving Execution of Mary Stuart; Oil painting; Iconography; Sketches; Sketches; Dramatic theatre; Reproductions; Adolphe Goupil; Paolo Mercuri; Prints; Plays; Tableaux vivants, 19th century, Romanticism, Genre, United Kingdom, Size: Paper: 46,0 cm x 51,4 cm (18,1 x 20,2 in), Plate: 43,2 cm x 48,6 cm (17 x 19,1 in), Depiction: 28,9 cm x 35,2 cm (11,4 x 13,9 in)

      Fichter Kunsthandel
    • P. MERCURI (*1804) after DELAROCHE (*1797), The Execution of Lady Jane Gray, around 1858, Steel engr
      Aug. 26, 2023

      P. MERCURI (*1804) after DELAROCHE (*1797), The Execution of Lady Jane Gray, around 1858, Steel engr

      Est: €4,800 - €6,400

      Paolo Mercuri (1804 Rom - 1884 Bucharest) after Paul Delaroche (1797 Paris - 1856 ibid.): The Execution of Lady Jane Gray, c. 1858, Steel engraving Technique: Steel engraving on Paper Inscription: At the lower part signed in the printing plate: "Peint par Paul De la Roche / Gravé par P. Mercuri.". At the lower part inscribed in the printing plate: "Tiré de la Galerie du Prince Anatole Demidoff / Imprimé par Goupil & Cie á Paris". Date: c. 1858 Description: Since the Thames Flood of 1928, Paul Delaroche's dramatic history painting was thought to be lost until it was rediscovered in 1973 and is now one of the most popular exhibits at the National Gallery in London. The Execution of Lady Jane Grey is considered a masterpiece by Delaroche, who expressively captured the historicising scene of the execution of the English "Nine Days Queen" Jane Grey (1536-1554). As the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII Tudor, Jane Grey was protected at a young age and raised to become an educated lady who cultivated the Protestant faith and, not least for this reason, was preferred in the line of succession to the throne to his sister Mary by the last will of King Edward VI. Only nine days after her proclamation, however, she was captured and executed by the latter. Especially among the followers of the Protestant faith, she was soon perceived as a martyr and victim of her cousin Queen Mary I Tudor. Delaroche, who is known for his rather gloomy history paintings that more often embody decline than triumph, may have been inspired by Madame de Staël's drama Jane Grey, published in 1790. Also through the 1825 translation of Harris Nicolas' The Literary Remains of Lady Jane Grey, the cult-like veneration of Jane Grey became tangible in France as well. The subject of royal executions still had a contemporary historical relevance in France, especially due to the retrospective view of the beheading of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI as a result of the French Revolution, and Delaroche was also concerned with its pictorial realisation. Over a period of many years, Delaroche occupied himself with the fate of the "Nine Days' Queen" and travelled to England himself in order to be able to experience the scenery of the event for himself. Only this will to research and an enthusiastic devotion to the subject matter could lead to the creation of the moving oil painting. For the basic constellation of figures, Delaroche took his cue from John Opie's engraving Execution of Mary Stuart and transferred the hitherto rare motif of the execution itself to the depiction of Jane Grey. Purposely selected persons, capable of expressing a variety of different emotions in their posture and expression, surround Jane Grey, condemned to death, who gropes for the execution block with blindfolded eyes and uncertain gestures. The sensitively composed iconography owes its depth to the artist's intense preoccupation with the fate of the heiress to the throne and the preparation of the painting through countless sketches and drafts, but it also demonstrates, not least, artistic freedom and an orientation towards dramatic theatre. With comparably high standards, Delaroche criticised his contemporaries for the often imprecise production of engraved reproductions of their paintings and therefore himself attached great importance to a high-quality distribution of his own works. For The Execution of Jane Grey, it is known that he concluded a contract with the publisher Adolphe Goupil as early as 1835, which assured him of the high quality of the reproductions. The collaboration with the engraver Paolo Mercuri soon began, but was not to be completed before the middle of the century. The easy readability of the painting as well as the clear constellation of figures offered the best conditions for its realisation as a print, but at the same time also stimulated plays and tableaux vivants, which bear witness to the painting's popularity, which continues to this day. Keywords: Thames Flood of 1928; History painting; Paul Delaroche; National Gallery in London; Execution of Lady Jane Grey; Nine Days Queen; Jane Grey; King Henry VII; Tudor; Protestant faith; Succession to the throne; Queen Mary I; Tudor; Madame de Staël; Harris Nicolas; The Literary Remains of Lady Jane Grey; French Revolution; Marie Antoinette; King Louis XVI; ; Constellation of figures; John Opie's engraving Execution of Mary Stuart; Oil paintings; Iconography; Sketches; Drafts; Dramatic theatre; Reproductions; Adolphe Goupil; Paolo Mercuri; Prints; Plays; Tableaux vivants, 19th century, Romanticism, Genre, United Kingdom,

      Fichter Kunsthandel
    • PAOLO MERCURI (Italian 1804-1884) Pair of charcoal studies of male nudes on paper, unsigned. Floated on dark ground contained in dark silk matted glazed frames under glass. Xerox document indicates that the artist is Paolo Mercuri. Size: window:
      Jul. 29, 2012

      PAOLO MERCURI (Italian 1804-1884) Pair of charcoal studies of male nudes on paper, unsigned. Floated on dark ground contained in dark silk matted glazed frames under glass. Xerox document indicates that the artist is Paolo Mercuri. Size: window:

      Est: $400 - $600

      PAOLO MERCURI (Italian 1804-1884) Pair of charcoal studies of male nudes on paper, unsigned. Floated on dark ground contained in dark silk matted glazed frames under glass. Xerox document indicates that the artist is Paolo Mercuri. Size: window: 17''H, 11''w. frame: 33 1/2''H, 25 1/2''W. Condition: age appropriate wear. Provenance: Adonis Art, London, UK.

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