A Headpiece in the Form of a Fan– Heliogravure – Amand-Durand – After Agostino Carracci Engraving – Durand Stamp

A Headpiece in the Form of a Fan– Heliogravure – Amand-Durand – After Agostino Carracci Engraving – Durand Stamp This impression is a heliogravure reproduction by Charles AmandDurand, based on the famous engraving A Headpiece in the Form of a Fan by master engraver Agostino Carracci (1557-1602) in 1589-1595 (Bartsch, XVIII.149.260). Produced in 1876, this copy bears AmandDurand’s red collector’s stamp (Lugt 2934) on the verso. A Headpiece in the Form of a Fan is a celebrated work held in major collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Art Institute of Chicago. The original engravings are rare and highly prized in today’s market. AmandDurand’s high-end heliogravures faithfully replicate these masterpieces at a fraction of the cost, while his red-stamped impressions are especially collectible, distinguishing them from later, unmarked printings About Amand-Durand and His HeliogravuresCharles Amand-Durand (1831–1905) was a renowned Parisian engraver, publisher, and the inventor of the heliogravure technique. In the late 1860s, commissioned by the Louvre Museum, he sought ways to preserve and restore worn prints by the Old Masters. Discovering that many original plates were too degraded to yield quality impressions, he turned to the newly developed heliogravure process to create meticulous facsimiles from early, high-quality impressions housed in major print collections. His method involved photographic transfer to a light-sensitive copper plate, followed by manual refinement of intricate lines and tonal areas. Each piece required months of preparation, resulting in reproductions so exact that even experienced curators were occasionally fooled. Amand-Durand’s heliogravures are therefore regarded not merely as reproductions, but as works of art in their own right. To mark his work ethically and confidently, Amand-Durand applied a red stamp (Lugt 2934) to the back of each heliogravure. After his death in 1905, many of his copperplates were reused by others—but without the stamp, leading to confusion in the collecting world. For this reason, stamped impressions are the most desirable and collectible today. Print Details Image Size: 15.25 × 10.5 in Technique: Heliogravure Etching Paper: Laid paper Condition: Trimmed along the lower right edge of the main image. Strong impression, no other noticeable damage, unframed Provenance Bertolami Fine Art, Italy Ripley Auctions, USA Inscriptions Bottom left: August. Carazza Inv. e fe. DisclaimerI have conducted thorough research to ensure the accuracy and attribution of this work to the best of my ability. However, it is sold as is, with no guarantees or warranties regarding authorship or provenance. Tags AmandDurand, AgostinoCarracci, EtchingReproduction, OldMasterEtching, Etching, MasterReproduction, Heliogravure, Photogravure, RareFind, Renaissance, PrintCollection, ClassicalArt, EngravingReproduct Materials:CopperEtching, LaidPaper, CopperPlate, Intaglio, Engraving, Printmaking, EarlyPrint, LineWork, OldMaster, CollectorPrint, VintagePrint, UnFramedArt, ArtCollector