Beschreibung:

NAPOLEON III, (1808-1873), King of France ]. Petition SIGNED BY SOME 232 EUROPEAN PAINTERS, LITHOGRAPHERS AND ENGRAVERS to Napoleon III ("A sa Majesté l'Empéreur"), n.p., n.d. [after 28 March 1852.] 10¼ pages, folio. A fine calligraphic manuscript in an elegant italic hand, ENGROSSED ON FINE PARCHMENT, sewn into a booklet with green silk ribbon, the blank outer sheets very slightly soiled, otherwise in excellent condition. In French. THE ARTISTS AND ENGRAVERS OF FRANCE PETITION THE KING FOR PROTECTION FROM REPRODUCTIONS MADE BY THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY. A remarkable petition to the King, signed by a cross-section of the artistic establishment of France, lamenting the effects of "the rapid spread of photography, in all parts, and its pernicious effect on more traditional arts." The petition cites a royal decree of 28 March 1852 forbidding "in France the reproduction of the works of authors of all nationalities." France's example, however, has not been followed by other countries, so that "foreign reproduction has reached epic proportions, and "the works of French artists are forged with boundless and unprecedented audacity..." The petitioners fear that the flood of reproductions, "without serious merit, without intelligent exertion, will easily deflate [the value of] original works." Engraving and lithography are particularly in danger, as "the preparation of one engraved plate can take many years of an artist's life, and its publication entails the outlay of considerable capital." If not protected, this form of art, which has been "since Louis XIV one of the glories of France," will vanish, the petitioners assert. The 232 signatories include: DELACROIX, Eugène (1798-1863); INGRES, Jean Auguste Dominique (1780-1867); ZIEM, Félix (1821-1891); CABANEL, Alexandre (1823/24-1889); ISABEY, Eugène; PASINI, Alberto (1826-1899); BOULANGé, Louis Jean-Baptiste (1812-1878); GéRôME, Jean-Léon (1824-1904); DUBUFE, Edouard Louis (1818/20-1883); HEILBUTH, Ferdinand; PINCHART, Émil Auguste; BARGUE, Charles (?-1883); PASINI, Alberto (1826-1899); SCHLESSINGER, Félix (1833-?); HEILBUTH, Ferdinand; WINTERHALTER, Franz Xaver (1806-1873); GIRARDET, Édouard-Henri; MESSONIER, Jean-Louis and many others.