Antique Print-WILLIAM TELL-SWITZERLAND-FOLKLORE-WILHELM-Le Grand-c. 1770

Subject: Antique print, titled: ”Guillaume Tell (…).” – This very rare and desirable original antique print depicts the famous William Tell story. Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th-century Swiss illustrated chronicle. It is set in the time of the original foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the early 14th century. According to the legend, Tell—an expert marksman with the crossbow—assassinated Gessler, a tyrannical reeve of Habsburg Austria positioned in Altdorf, Uri. Along with Arnold von Winkelried, Tell is a central figure in Swiss patriotism as it was constructed during the Restoration of the Confederacy after the Napoleonic era.

Condition: Good, given age. Two tiny tears top edge; repaired and not nearly affecting image. A few minor crinkles. Some spots in the margins. Some tiny holes in the margins. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Please study scan carefully.

Medium: Stipple engraving / etching with contemporary hand colouring. on hand laid (verge) paper.

Size (in cm): The overall size is ca. 52.5 x 39.5 cm. The image size is ca. 46 x 36 cm.

Size (in inch): The overall size is ca. 20.7 x 15.6 inch. The image size is ca. 18.1 x 14.2 inch.

Part Number: 65023

Location: PCOM-B1-22

Description: Published in Paris by Aug. Le Grand and Constantin.

Artists and Engravers: Anonymous.