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Felix Buhot (1847-1898), Westminster Palace, etching, drypoint, roulette, 1884, signed in pencil and extensively annotated. Bourcard/Goodfriend 155, Bourcard’s third state (of 5); Goodfriend’s fourth state (of 7). In very good condition (minor thinning in spots verso), printed on a heavy cream/greenish wove paper with margins; 11 1/2 x 15 1/4, the sheet 13 1/2 x 17 1/4 inches.
Provenance: Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Flower
A fine impression, printed in a brownish/black ink with plate tone.
The extensive pencil annotation by Buhot includes: upper left margin, the words “Le Palais de Westminster;” upper center Buhot has drawn in pencil his owl, similar to his red stamp (Lugt 977); upper right several indistinguishable words ending with the word “Londres”; bottom left “Tire a 25 epreuves”; bottom center “ep. no. 10 – FB”, bottom center just below the last note: another drawing of a small owl; bottom right “epreuve d’artiste” and then signed in full.
This state is before Buhot reduced the plate slightly, extensively re-worked the plate by adding shadowing and blackening figures, and added the words “Westminster Palace London” to the print.
Westminster Palace is of course one of Buhot’s most complex and successful compositions.
