Title: View of the Château de Saint-Cloud from the Second Courtyard, Baltard, 1803
Description:
This finely executed original antique copperplate engraving presents an impressive view of the Château de Saint-Cloud as seen from the Second Courtyard. The composition captures the grandeur of the royal palace's elegant Baroque and Classical façades, with its monumental entrance, richly ornamented architecture, and expansive courtyard beneath dramatic cloud-filled skies.
The Château de Saint-Cloud was one of France's most important royal residences, serving successive Bourbon monarchs before becoming a favored palace of Napoleon Bonaparte. Situated west of Paris overlooking the River Seine, it was celebrated for its magnificent architecture and formal gardens until its destruction during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Engravings such as this remain valuable visual records of a palace that no longer exists.
The engraving was created by the distinguished French architect and engraver Louis-Pierre Baltard (1764–1846) and published in Paris in 1803 as part of the celebrated Napoleonic-era publication Paris et ses Monuments, mesurés, dessinés et gravés. This monumental work documented France's most important architectural landmarks through meticulously engraved copperplates of exceptional artistic and architectural quality.
Combining historical importance with refined decorative appeal, this engraving is an excellent acquisition for collectors of French architecture, royal history, Grand Tour prints, and antique views of Paris and its surroundings.
This is an original antique engraving printed in 1803 and not a later reproduction. It is offered unframed. Any framed images are shown for presentation purposes only.
Year:
1803
Maker:
Louis-Pierre Baltard (1764–1846)
Publisher:
Paris
Origin:
France
Technique:
Original copperplate engraving on laid paper
Condition:
Good antique condition with age-related toning, scattered foxing, and light wear consistent with age. Please examine the photographs carefully.
Materials:
Paper, black ink
Style:
Neoclassical, Architectural
Subject:
View of the Château de Saint-Cloud from the Second Courtyard
Keywords:
Louis-Pierre Baltard, Château de Saint-Cloud, Saint-Cloud, French palace, architectural engraving, antique print, copperplate engraving, Paris et ses Monuments, French architecture, Napoleonic France, royal residence, Baroque architecture, Neoclassical architecture, palace view, River Seine, Grand Tour, original antique print, 1803, French decor, wall art