After Pierre Breughel – Le Grand Chemin, Engraved by Racine 1791

Description

Pierre Breughel is the painter named on this antique engraving of Le Grand Chemin, executed by Jean-Baptiste Racine and dated 1791. The print reproduces a wooded landscape filled with travellers, horses, wagons and figures moving along a country road.

The sheet bears the inscriptions “De la Galerie du Palais Royal” and “École flamande”. Its presentation includes the landscape, an armorial cartouche, an ornamental border and a substantial French commentary. The attribution to Pierre Breughel is retained as it appears in the original lettering.

Pierre Breughel: Le Grand Chemin

Le Grand Chemin, meaning “The Main Road”, presents a countryside scene in which human activity occupies an important place within the landscape. The road provides the central link between the foreground figures and the smaller groups travelling further away.

Covered wagons and other horse-drawn vehicles share the route with pedestrians and mounted travellers. Animals appear among the figures, while individual gestures and changes of direction create a varied scene. The composition rewards close viewing, with details distributed across the road and beneath the trees.

The travellers are set within a carefully structured landscape. Large trees rise on either side, their foliage enclosing the more open middle distance. The contrast between dark woodland and lighter ground helps guide the eye through the image.

As the road recedes, figures and vehicles become smaller. This gradual change of scale gives the scene depth and allows the viewer to follow the movement of the travellers beyond the foreground. Above them, the open sky provides a quieter area within the densely worked composition.

An engraving by Jean-Baptiste Racine

The image is lettered “Peint par P. Breughel” on the left and “Gravé par J. B. Racine” on the right. These inscriptions distinguish the painter credited with the composition from the engraver who translated it into print.

Produced using engraving and etching, the image is built from fine lines and contrasting areas of tone. Foliage, tree bark, clothing and the surfaces of the road receive different treatments, allowing the many elements to remain legible within a monochrome impression.

The work offered is an antique print on paper. The phrase “Peint sur cuivre”, appearing in the descriptive text, refers to the support of the painting reproduced, rather than to the material of this sheet.

The Galerie du Palais Royal presentation

Beneath the landscape, the title is arranged around a crowned armorial cartouche with winged figures. The Galerie du Palais Royal inscription extends across the sheet below it.

The lower section carries the heading “École flamande” and identifies the work as the second painting by Pierre Breughel in the sequence. A French commentary follows, discussing the painting and its artist from the perspective of the period.

An ornamental engraved border surrounds both the picture and its text. The landscape itself is horizontal, while the full composition is arranged vertically. This combination gives the sheet interest as both a landscape print and an illustrated historical document.

Dimensions

• Full sheet: 45 × 29 cm.
• Engraved composition, including title and descriptive text: 36.7 × 23.6 cm.
• Pictorial image alone: 20.3 × 15.5 cm.

The three measurements distinguish the paper, the complete printed composition and the landscape image. They are particularly useful when planning a mount that retains the decorative border and the commentary.

Condition

The photograph shows light paper undulation and a few small marks. The plate impression is visible in the margins. The ornamental border, title and French descriptive text are present.

Please examine the photograph for the appearance of the paper and the details of the impression.

This print will appeal to collectors interested in Pierre Breughel, Flemish landscape compositions, rural travel and eighteenth-century engravings. Its combination of a detailed countryside scene and extensive period lettering gives it an interest extending beyond the image alone.