Artist: Giovanni Battista Gaulli, other name Baciccio (Italian, 1639-1709). Gaulli was a brilliant colourist and a master of Baroque illusionism.
Artist: Pierre Paroussel. According to the accompanying text, the attribution of the composition to Gaulli was revised shortly after the completion of the engraving, and the painting was attributed to Pierre Paroussel.
Engraver: Louis Desplaces (French, 1682-1739), full name Philippe Louis Campagnon Desplaces.
Title: Virgin of the Immaculate Conception (Sainte Claire).
Titled, Dated, and Signed in plate: Sainte Claire. Tableau de Jean Baptiste Gauli, dit le Bacchiche, qui est dans le Cabinet de M. Crozat. Peint sur toile, de la même grandeur par Louis Desplaces. [numbered on plate, lower right] '120'.
Dimensions: Platemark 18 1/4" x 11 1/2", Sheet 21 1/8" x 16".
Edition: Joseph Antoine de Crozat, Marquis de Tugny. Recueil d'Estampes d'après les plus beaux Tableaux et d'après les plus beaux Desseins qui sont en France dans le Cabinet du Roy, dans celuy de Monseigneur le Duc d'Orléans, & dans d'autres Cabinets, Tome Second. Paris, 1742.
Date: 1742.
Materials and Techniques: Etching finished with engraving on laid paper.
Watermark: yes.
Provenance: The Estate of George "Yorgo" Demetrakopoulos; professor, assistant director of the Medieval Institute, and assistant to the dean at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, from 1965-2000.
Condition: Left edge with cuts and holes from a binding cord. Wear to edges. The signs of aging are appropriate for the time. A detailed condition report is available on demand.
Part of: [Known as the Cabinet de Crozat or Recueil de Crozat, Volume 2, No. 120].
Museums and Libraries: The British Museum 1855,0609.201.
Art Movements, Periods & Schools: French School XVIII C. Italian School XVII C.
Note: This entry incorporates text from Wikipedia and the catalog entry of a similar item from the British Museum collection.