[César DE COCK] Vue de Longueville (Seine inférieure)

(‘View of Longueville (Seine-Maritime)’). Etching of a farmhouse near a stream, with two figures washing in the stream, and two additional figures in conversation in the background.

Etching on Japanese paper.
Sheet size: 38,7 x 27,3 cm. Image size: 19,1 x 30,5 cm.

Signed and dated in the plate (lower right). Also signed in pencil below the image (lower right), but we highly doubt the authenticity of this signature. This print was also published in the 1865 yearbook ‘Eaux-fortes Modernes’ of the ‘Société des Aquafortistes’ with additional printed information in the lower margin (published by Cadart & Luquet and printed by Delatre. The copy currently offered was printed separately, perhaps as a proof. Ref: Not in Hippert & Linnig. Comyn 2004: ill. 29.

Made by César de Cock after own design. César de Cock (1823-1904) was a Belgian artist. From 1833 he enrolled at the ‘Academie van teeken-, beelhouw- en bouwkunst’ in Ghent, where Pieter Frans de Noter was his teacher. His older brother Xavier De Cock was also an artist. From the 1850’s he mainly worked in France. De Cock’s work is characterised as Romantic Realism, following the French Barbizon painters, and he became known as the ‘Flemish Corot’. De Cock has made only a small oeuvre of etchings, ca. 25 in total, due to early disappointment with the medium. His printer (Onghena) only showed him bad proofs, while keeping the good printings for himself. In time, this caused De Cock to abandon etching for a number of years. All in all his etchings seem quite rare.

Condition: Good, given age. Some small stains in the sheet edges. A few scattered spots of foxing (also in the top left of the iamge area). Creases and faint discolouration in the top margin corners. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Please study scan carefully.

PCO-E3-25