Gold Leaf Etching Appraisal

Guillaume Azoulay 'Cinco Caballos' Etching with Gold Leaf

This artwork is a large-format etching with extensive hand-applied gold leaf by the renowned French artist Guillaume Azoulay, likely titled 'Cinco Caballos' or a related piece within his equine series. The work features five highly stylized, intertwined horses rendered in Azoulay's signature linear technique, where complex, overlapping curved lines create a sense of frantic kinetic energy and volume. The color palette is dominated by a rich terracotta or rust-red background, contrasted by the white bodies of the horses, cobalt blue accents, and intricate gold foil detailing throughout the manes and bodies. The piece demonstrates high-quality craftsmanship, specifically the artist's ability to maintain structural form through a seemingly chaotic web of linework. Physically, the artwork is presented in a horizontal rectangular format with distinctive deckled edges on the paper, suggesting a high-quality heavy-weight rag paper substrate. It is professionally framed with a deep black mat that provides a strong contrast to the warm tones of the print, housed within a metallic gold-toned frame. Notable features include the visible texture of the etching plate and the reflective properties of the gold leaf. Regarding condition, there are visible dark smudges or foxing marks on the lower right and center-left portions of the white horse bodies, which may impact the value and require professional conservation. There is a signature and potentially an edition number visible in the lower center/right margin, typical of Azoulay's work from the late 20th century (circa 1980s-1990s). The overall style is Contemporary Expressionism with a focus on rhythmic movement.