PLEASE NOTE: These old engravings are difficult to scan sometimes. If they look distorted or 'wavy' it is due to the amount of parallel hatching. Rest assured, this engraving is sharp & clear. Due to the dark background it is difficult to capture the STRANGE BEAUTY of this one when scanning.
** Here for your auctioning pleasure is an EXTREMELY OLD, ORIGINAL, RARE & SCARCE 1885 (copyright provided) (Stored safely away for AN AMAZING 120 YEARS) GUSTAVE DORE, PARADISE OF FOOLS, LIMBO OF VANITY, Caption “And many more too long, Embryos, and Idiots, Eremites, and Friars.” Book III., lines 473, 474. >> Dore’s wood-engravings for John Milton's monumental epic poem PARADISE LOST--recounts mankind's fall from the grace of God through the work of Satan—this is among Dore's finest works.
LARGE FORMAT, Measures 13 x 9.5 in., THIS WOOD ENGRAVING IS PLATE 25. STUNNING AND BEAUTIFUL, SIGNATURES OF DORE AND THE ENGRAVER APPEAR ON BOTTOM OF PLATE. TOO LARGE FOR SCANNER SO COMPLETE BORDER DOES NOT SHOW. FINE QUALITY, HEAVY RIGID STOCK, I PERSONALLY REMOVED THIS ENGRAVING PLATE FROM THIS RARE FOLIO. ~*~*~ THIS IS AN AUTHENTIC 120 YEAR OLD WOOD ENGRAVING THAT IS VERY SCARCE TO FIND & SELDOM OFFERED. *~*~*~*~* THIS IS NOT A MODERN REPRODUCTION OR REPRINT. Full provenance documented and provided to winner. <<< CHECK MY FEEDBACK FOR ACCOLADES FROM PREVIOUS WINNERS FROM THIS RARE GUSTAV DORE SERIES >>> ENGRAVING PLATE/IMAGE ALONE IS IN MINT CONDITION with complimentary age toning. BLANK ON REVERSE SIDE. GOLD GILDED EDGES. Left bottom corner of border has thin stain on very edge which would cover completely when framed. No stains or blemishes of any kind on image. Occasional plate flaws which are true to the original. *** A VERY BEAUTIFUL & NOBLE ANTIQUE ENGRAVING MOST WORTHY OF FRAMING & DISPLAY. *** Overall the border is solid and complete. No foxing. Age toning appears slightly darker on outside edges of border/margin. Right border edge is slightly rough where I personally removed it from the folio. Please see scan for best view of detail and condition. Email if you wish additional scans. AUTHENTICITY, AGE AND CONDITION ARE GUARANTEED AS STATED HEREIN. Please email if you wish additional scans. From Milton’s Paradise Lost Plate 11 by GUSTAVE DORE (1832-1883) French Romantic Illustrator. PLATE 11. Embryos and idiots, eremites and friars, White, black, and gray, with all their trumpery. In the final section of Book III, Milton turns his attention back to Satan, who sits between Chaos and Earth contemplating his next move. Here Milton interrupts the flow of the narrative to describe a future Limbo of Vanity or Paradise of Fools that will occupy the area where Satan sits. This description is Milton’s digressive view of the future and not something that Satan imagines. Over the years, many commentators have questioned the positioning and effect of this passage. Milton stops the flow of his story and argument to describe such foolish sinners as those who built the Tower of Babel and the philosopher Empedocles, who thought to prove himself immortal by jumping into a volcano only to have the volcano prove the opposite by spewing his dead body back out. To this group of foolish sinners, Milton adds a group of monks, friars, and priests in an obvious satire on Catholicism and such beliefs as Limbo, which Protestantism had rejected.r
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