"The Meeting of Faust and Marguerite" antique photogravure after the painting by James Tissot, engraved by Goupil, 1881; printed on heavy stock paper; signed in plate "James Tissot, Pinx." and "Gravure Goupil et Cie.". The Masterpieces of French Art series. The original descriptive paper for this print is present.

Design 9.7/8" x 6.1/4" [248mm x 161mm], the entire plate is 15" x 11.1/2” [380mm x 290mm]; some foxing, very good condition [see photos].

In Goethe's 1808 version of the legend of Faust, one of the greatest works of German literature, Faust sells his soul to Mephistopheles, the devil, in return for youth, knowledge and magical powers. Faust meets and seduces the beautiful and innocent Marguerite, who comes to an unhappy end.

Charles Gounod's grand opera version of Faust premiered at the Theatre-Lyrique on March 19, 1859. About the same time Tisso begun to work on the series of paintings depicting scenes from Goethe's Faust. The "Rencontre de Faust et de Marguerite" (The Meeting of Faust and Marguerite) was completed in 1860, and exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1861.

Jacques Joseph Tissot (1836-1902), Anglicized as James Tissot, was a French painter and illustrator. He was a successful painter of Paris society before moving to London in 1871. He became famous as a genre painter of fashionably dressed women shown in various scenes of everyday life. He also painted scenes and figures from the Bible.

In 1859, Tissot exhibited in the Paris Salon for the first time. He showed five paintings of scenes from the Middle Ages, several depicting scenes from Goethe's Faust. These works show the influence in his work of the Belgian painter Henri Leys (Jan August Hendrik Leys), whom Tissot had met in Antwerp earlier that same year. Other influences include the works of the German painters Peter von Cornelius and Moritz Retzsch. After Tissot had first exhibited at the Salon and before he had been awarded a medal, the French government paid 5,000 francs for his depiction of The Meeting of Faust and Marguerite in 1860, with the painting being exhibited at the Salon the following year.

In 1870s-1890s, Goupil & Cie were the leading art dealers in 19th century France, with headquarters in Paris and a network of branches in London, Brussels, The Hague, Berlin and Vienna, as well as in New York and Australia. Instrumental for this expansion was the "Ateliers Photographiques", a plant north of Paris, in Asnieres, which took up its work in 1869. The photogravures created in this plant dominated the world art market of 1880s-1890s.

The creation of the photogravure plate was a complicated process requiring a work by a photographer and experienced master-engraver. First, a copper plate was coated with a light-sensitive gelatin tissue which had been exposed to a film positive, and then etched, resulting in a high quality intaglio print that can reproduce the detail and continuous tones of a photograph. It is a manual process. Therefore, the quality of the photogravure depends on the masterly execution by the engraver.

Due to relative softness of copper, the editions of photogravures were limited to a few thousand copies similarly to copper engravings and etchings.

Artwork will be mailed unframed.

Rates vary per zone/ country, we will adjust shipping costs with the invoice.

US: Priority (c.2-8 days) ------------ $20.50
Canada: 1st Class (c.2-6 weeks) ---- $29.50
World: 1st Class (c.2-8 weeks) ----- $43.50