[Hand-Colored Print] Chateau Royal de Saint Maur du Cote du Jardin

Paris: Basan, 1740. First Edition. NA. Good. Beautiful panoramic view of formal gardens, the chateau which belonged to the Duc Conde, with a good amount of human activity -- aristocrats strolling, gardeners, etc. -- and a dog, to add some interest and provide a sense of scale. The chateau still stands. Exposed part of print: 26 by 48 cm. With matting, 36 by 59 cm. The hand-coloring greatly enhances the visual appeal of this print which is most often encountered in black and white. A band of black has been painted around the perimeter. We can't explain why this was done. The caption below is also obscured by the uneven application of black paint, although much of it remains legible. The core pictorial image isn't significantly afflicted by this blacking, although it does invade a bottom edge here and there. Much of the unwanted black can be removed with an ordinary eraser, and we suspect that virtually all of it can be cleaned up with a professional acid bath.