French Engraver Appraisal

Livres de Plusieurs Paniers de Fleurs Engraving by Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer

This item is a framed botanical engraving titled 'Livres de Plusieurs Paniers de Fleurs' (Books of Several Baskets of Flowers). The artwork depicts a lush, highly detailed arrangement of various flowers, including large lilies, carnations, and viburnum, overflowing from a textured woven wicker basket. The basket sits upon a stone ledge or plinth. The engraving showcases exceptional draftsmanship with fine cross-hatching and stippling used to create depth, shadow, and texture. The color palette is muted and antique in appearance, featuring soft pinks, creamy whites, sage greens, and earthy browns, suggesting hand-coloring or aged pigments. Below the image, the French title is inscribed in elegant cursive script, followed by the credit 'dessiné et gravé Par J. Baptiste', identifying the artist as Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer (1636-1699), a renowned French painter and engraver specialized in flower pieces. The paper shows visible signs of age, including significant foxing and overall yellowing/browning of the substrate. The print is housed behind glass, which shows a prominent reflection of a window, indicating it is likely an older framing. The style is classic 17th-century French Baroque floral still life. The craftsmanship exhibits the high-quality precision typical of Monnoyer's copperplate engravings, intended for the Royal Academy in Paris. There is a visible vertical crease or slight buckling in the paper near the right edge.