JANINET Jean Francois 1752-1814.
A pair of pastel-manner engravings after Antoine Coypel.
These two engravings are marked "Painted by Coypel -- Engraved by Bzzi**,London 1776. Publish by Anthny Torre & Brother printsellers the Golden Head Market Lane Pall Mall A Paris chez Le Père et Avaulez rue St Jacques. "
Chalk-manner etchings with engraving printed in colours
with elaborate faux frames printed in gold.
" Zéphyre and Flore , Vertumnus and Pomona "
J HEROLD (Louis Marin Bonnet.Paris 1935 p 24,25)
proved that these engravings cannot be by Francesco Bartolozzi:
" In 1972, Janinet, having left Bonnet, carried out two small prints, after Bénazech, the Operator and the Appointment , at the bottom of which he registered the legend: engraved with the imitation of the washing color, by F Janinet, the only one which found this manner, at the author, house of Mr. Lucas abbot , street of Platre S.Jacques, and at Lepère and Avaulez street St Jacques ; The technique of these two engravings is completely the same that the one employed for the execution of the Prosecutor and the Tailor, and it is allowed to suppose that Janinet at least collaborated with his Master to arrive to their completion.
Although the stay of Janinet at Bonnet was very short, the trace of another collaboration with the Master remains. Bonnet published in 1774 several prints, printed in colours imitating the drawing with several pencils, with a gilded framing...
He employed a pseudonym and an foreign address to avoid legal proceedings. Gilding was reserved for certain trade guilds which would not have hesitated to prosecute a Parisian engraver: no remedy at law was possible abroad...
In 1974, Bonnet published his first prints with a framework printed in gold surrounding the subject engraved in colours with several pencils and presented in an oval medallion. About the same time, two subjects laid out of the same manner, but engraved in colours imitating the watercolour, with their gilded frameworks, reminding those of Bonnet, were offered to the public: Zéphyre and Flore and Vertumne and Pomone...
The catalogues of sale generally allot paintings to Charles Coypel and engravings to Bartolozzi. Actually, the pictures were painted by Antoine Coypel...
Concerning the engraving of coloured prints , only one artist was in a position to carry out them at that time. The name of Bartolozzi is to be drawn aside: these two prints do not appear in the catalogues of the work of this engraver. The title and the first English address are registered here, as on the similar prints of Bonnet, to avoid a prosecution. The subjects engraved in colours imitating the watercolour reveal their author...
The attribution of these two prints to Janinet is not doubtful; he presented them at his usual editor who remained precisely at the opposite of Bonnet, his former Master and competitor. "
These prints appear in Inventory BNF Janinet N 32.
