Leo Webster
Senior Specialist
Lot 79
Léon Danchin(French, 1887-1938)Setters at Rest
8 November 2023, 14:00 GMT
Edinburgh£700 - £1,000
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Léon Danchin (French, 1887-1938)
Setters at Rest
signed in pencil 'Léon Danchin' (lower left), numbered in pencil '244/500' (lower right)
lithograph
plate 46 x 87.5cm (18 1/8 x 34 7/16in).
printed in 1938
signed in pencil 'Léon Danchin' (lower left), numbered in pencil '244/500' (lower right)
lithograph
plate 46 x 87.5cm (18 1/8 x 34 7/16in).
printed in 1938
Footnotes
Danchin was born in Lille on 21 June 1887. He studied first in the college Joan of Arc de Lille, and later at the L'Ecole des Beaux Art under the French animal artist, sculptor and family friend, Jean Joire (1862-1950). He first exhibited at Salon de Lille in 1906 at the age of 19 years. He perfected his technique as a sculptor under the tutelage of Giacomo Merculiano (Italian, 1859–1935) at his studio in Lille, and he would frequently sculpt busts of the city's personalities. From 1907 to 1911 he exhibited seven works at the 'French Artists Exhibition'. Later in life he would devote more time to drawing, painting, watercolours, and engraving. Though he did later work with the famous foundries of Bernard Barbedienne and Susse Frères.
For convenience, Danchin moved his new family to Chantilly, near Paris, and started to publish his first lithographs and engravings through the Parisian firm of Devambez et Associés. Mr Dewambez was one of the best Parisian publishers of his day. His work would be later published as etchings by La Gravure Français of Paris in partnership with Gaston Jaubert.
Danchin was especially commercially successful with his etchings and engravings; he would publish over 300 such works over his career. His works were popularised through such publications as 'The Sketch', 'Le Saint-Hubert' and 'Vie a la Campagne'. His work was also illustrated in several books.
As a keen sportsman, with his family owning an English Setter, Danchin's interest was primarily in country scenes and dogs. His works are widely recognised as some of the finest when it comes to the canine species, especially sporting dogs, and today his work can be seen in many prestigious museums and public places, for example the Serre-Hébuterne war memorial at Arras.