Plantou, Julia: Chataigner, engraver:

$4,250 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

PEACE OF GHENT 1814 AND TRIUMPH OF AMERICA [caption title]. A large allegorical engraving celebrating the end of the War of 1812. The caption explains that "Minerva represents the wisdom of the United States" and "dictates the conditions of peace" as Hercules forces Britannia to accept the treaty. In the background an obelisk features the names of major American military figures of the war, including Jackson, Harrison, Decatur, and Porter. An inset below the engraving reads "Under the Presidence of Madisson Monroë Secretary of State," surrounded by the names of the first twenty states (through Mississippi).The original painting from which this print was modeled was created by Julia Plantou, a French painter who emigrated to America in 1816. Her work was exhibited in Washington, D.C., in 1817, and prints were made as she and her husband toured with the painting to other cities across the country. The engraving is attributed to a rather mysterious Philadelphia engraver known only as "Chataigner." Some suggest this may refer to the French engraver, Alexis Chataigner, though that artist's death in Paris in 1817 makes the identification somewhat uncertain.This print is rare, with OCLC recording only the copy at the Library of Congress, and Rare Book Hub noting only three copies sold at auction since 1912. We also locate a copy at the Yale University Art Gallery. A beautiful tribute to America's perseverance and victory in what has been called the "Second War for American Independe

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