DOI Heft:
Nr. 122 (May 1903)
DOI Artikel:Singer, Hans Wolfgang: Jakob Christoffel Le Blon and his three-colour prints
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19878#0274
Le Blons Three-Colour Prints
and then came in the retinue of a noble-
man to Rome, where he applied himself to the
study of Maratti. But he was careless, and pro-
mised to do little good, when he was taken to '
Holland by a friend, B. Overbeek, who wished
to guard him from going to the bad. Le Blon
settled at Amsterdam and achieved some success
as a miniature painter; and later, when his eye-
sight began to fail, as a painter of cabinet pictures
and portraits under life-size.
It was here that the idea of colour-printing
occurred to him, and that he began to make his
first experiments. These were a Portrait of W.
van Salisch, then Governor of Breda, and A
Sleeping Nymph ivatched by a Faun, after a paint-
ing by himself. He kept the process secret, and
perplexed as well as delighted the persons to whom
he showed the first-fruits of his labour, among
them Prince Eugene of Savoy. His idea was to
obtain a patent, have it bought by a company,
and thus secure for himself large financial advan-
tages out of his invention of " Printing Paintings."
He was, however, not successful here, nor at the
Hague, nor at Paris.
Finally he came to London, about 1720, and
found in Colonel Guise a strong supporter. He
and many others became interested in the scheme,
and by their means Le Blon and his invention were
brought to the personal notice of King George I.
After the sovereign's portrait and one of Prince
THE CARONDOLET FROM THE THREE-COLOUR
PORTRAIT (AFTER PRINT BY J. C. LE BLON
S. LUCIANO)
262
"SAINT CATHERINE " FROM THE THREE-COLOUR
PRINT BY J. C. LE BLON
Frederick, and a few other plates had been made,
a company was formed with a good deal of
capital to work the patent that had been obtained
in the meantime. It was called the " Picture
Office "; Colonel Guise was its president, and Le
Blon was made technical director at a good salary.
More than 25 plates were produced, mostly copies
after paintings then in Kensington Palace. Le
Blon's first attempts had been moderate in size,
and he often used more than three plates. Now
the object was to replace the work of the picture-
copier, and therefore large plates, equal in size
to the original paintings, were produced, and
the tendency to work strictly on the theoretical
three-colour principle is apparent. No fewer than
9,000 copies were printed : the prices varied from
is. to one guinea, and £600 worth, i.e. about
1,000 copies were actually sold. The stock
of the company sold at a high premium in the
beginning, when enthusiasm ran high.
This state of affairs did not last long. Serious
mismanagement seems to have taken place very
soon ; the expenses of the undertaking were quite
out of proportion to the returns. Attempts to
economise by engaging cheaper workmen only
resulted in producing inferior work which would
not sell at all, and thus increased the losses. A
meeting of the stockholders had to be called
on the 7th of March, 1722, in which severe
and then came in the retinue of a noble-
man to Rome, where he applied himself to the
study of Maratti. But he was careless, and pro-
mised to do little good, when he was taken to '
Holland by a friend, B. Overbeek, who wished
to guard him from going to the bad. Le Blon
settled at Amsterdam and achieved some success
as a miniature painter; and later, when his eye-
sight began to fail, as a painter of cabinet pictures
and portraits under life-size.
It was here that the idea of colour-printing
occurred to him, and that he began to make his
first experiments. These were a Portrait of W.
van Salisch, then Governor of Breda, and A
Sleeping Nymph ivatched by a Faun, after a paint-
ing by himself. He kept the process secret, and
perplexed as well as delighted the persons to whom
he showed the first-fruits of his labour, among
them Prince Eugene of Savoy. His idea was to
obtain a patent, have it bought by a company,
and thus secure for himself large financial advan-
tages out of his invention of " Printing Paintings."
He was, however, not successful here, nor at the
Hague, nor at Paris.
Finally he came to London, about 1720, and
found in Colonel Guise a strong supporter. He
and many others became interested in the scheme,
and by their means Le Blon and his invention were
brought to the personal notice of King George I.
After the sovereign's portrait and one of Prince
THE CARONDOLET FROM THE THREE-COLOUR
PORTRAIT (AFTER PRINT BY J. C. LE BLON
S. LUCIANO)
262
"SAINT CATHERINE " FROM THE THREE-COLOUR
PRINT BY J. C. LE BLON
Frederick, and a few other plates had been made,
a company was formed with a good deal of
capital to work the patent that had been obtained
in the meantime. It was called the " Picture
Office "; Colonel Guise was its president, and Le
Blon was made technical director at a good salary.
More than 25 plates were produced, mostly copies
after paintings then in Kensington Palace. Le
Blon's first attempts had been moderate in size,
and he often used more than three plates. Now
the object was to replace the work of the picture-
copier, and therefore large plates, equal in size
to the original paintings, were produced, and
the tendency to work strictly on the theoretical
three-colour principle is apparent. No fewer than
9,000 copies were printed : the prices varied from
is. to one guinea, and £600 worth, i.e. about
1,000 copies were actually sold. The stock
of the company sold at a high premium in the
beginning, when enthusiasm ran high.
This state of affairs did not last long. Serious
mismanagement seems to have taken place very
soon ; the expenses of the undertaking were quite
out of proportion to the returns. Attempts to
economise by engaging cheaper workmen only
resulted in producing inferior work which would
not sell at all, and thus increased the losses. A
meeting of the stockholders had to be called
on the 7th of March, 1722, in which severe