Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

John Taylor Arms
Limoges (French Church Series #32)

1932

$1,200
£914.22
€1,054.13
CA$1,679.38
A$1,876.42
CHF 981.58
MX$23,010.96
NOK 12,542.69
SEK 11,893.79
DKK 7,867.53
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

John Taylor Arms, 'Limoges (French Church Series #32)', etching, 1932, edition 142, third (final) state impressions, Fletcher 244. Signed, dated, and annotated 'Ed 100 III' in pencil. A superb, finely detailed impression, in warm black ink, on antique, pale gray laid paper, with full margins (1 1/16 to 1 1/2 inches); adhesive stains in the bottom left and right sheet corners, well away from the image, otherwise in excellent condition. Matted to museum standards, unframed. A view of Limoges, France and the Saint-Martial Bridge from the far side of the Vienne river. According to Fletcher, author of the catalogue raisonné on the artist's graphic work, this etching is among the artist’s preferred plates. Published references: "An Appreciation to John Taylor Arms 1887-1953", in PRINT, Vol. VIII #5 P. viii, Feb.-March 1954. Impressions of this print are in the permanent collections of the Davis Museum at Wellesley College, National Gallery of Art, Saint John’s University, Smithsonian Institution, and Wake Forest University. ABOUT THE ARTIST “John Taylor Arms will live on and on and future generations centuries from now will marvel at his work... . As a friend and as a man, he fully matched his superb work.” —John Winkler, printmaker Born in Washington, D.C. in 1887, John Taylor Arms attended the Lawrenceville School and began the study of law at Princeton University. In 1907, he transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and took up the study of architecture. Arms evolved his unique drafting style, with its highly realistic, precise detail and exquisitely rendered effects of light, from his experience and practice as an architectural student. He graduated in 1911 and completed a master’s degree the following year. He then worked as a draftsman with the well-known Carrere and Hastings Company in New York. In 1913 Arms was given a hobbyist’s etching set, and he began to dabble with copperplate and acid. In 1915, after copying a handful of prints by Jongkind and other Etching Revivalists, Arms created his first original etching. His early experiments were picturesque views of European villages, reflecting the influence of Whistler. He inked and printed several of these plates in color in the manner of Charles Mielatz. Arms formed a short-lived partnership with Cameron Clark, specializing in domestic architecture. In 1916 he joined the United States Navy. Travels to Europe fueled his fascination with French architectural printmakers, and after the war, he devoted himself wholly to printmaking. Inspired to capture the romantic ambiance and spiritual grace of Gothic architecture, Arms developed a plan to represent in etching all the major Gothic cathedrals of Europe. His thorough knowledge of architecture with his remarkably precise draftsmanship and exceptional command of the medium made his prints fascinating and broadly appealing. In the 1920s, his most productive period, Arms traveled throughout Europe and produced almost half of his oeuvre of nearly 450 prints. Two travel books written by his wife were illustrated with heliographic reproductions of his intaglio prints. In the 1930s Arms became a prominent champion of printmaking. He was the author of the 'Handbook of Print Making and Print Makers,' and as the editor of Prints magazine, he produced numerous articles of opinion and criticism and reviews of books and exhibitions. He was also a prominent member and officer of many print organizations, including president of The Society of American Etchers, where he drafted eloquent essays in support of the artists he commissioned. In 1938 and 1939, Arms was a visiting lecturer at Wesleyan University and spoke widely on printmaking history for many years. Arms’ work was widely published and was the subject of museum exhibitions throughout his career and following his death. He was the recipient of numerous print awards, including from The Albany Print Club, The American Insititute of Graphic Arts, Artists Equity Association, Arts and Crafts Association, Audubon Artists, Brooklyn Society of Etchers, Chicago Society of Etchers, International Printmakers, Miniature Print Society, National Academy of Design, National Arts Club, National Print and Drawing Exhibition, and the Society of American Etchers. Arms’ graphic works are included in many museum collections, including the British Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Chrysler Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Davis Museum at Wellesley College, De Young, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Georgetown University Library, Library of Congress, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, New York Public Library, Princeton University Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Iowa, and the University of Texas.
  • Creator:
    John Taylor Arms (1887 - 1953, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1932
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 10.07 in (25.58 cm)Width: 13.63 in (34.63 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Myrtle Beach, SC
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 1033981stDibs: LU53234419411

More From This Seller

View All
Racamadour (French Church Series #10) — Lyrical Realism
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
'Rocamadour' (French Church Series # 10), etching, 1927, edition 50, Fletcher 186. Signed, dated, and annotated 'First State' in pencil. Titled and dated 'Rocamadour 1926' in the plate, bottom right. A superb, finely detailed impression, in dark brown ink, on buff laid Japan paper, with full margins (1 to 1 7/8 inches), in excellent condition. Image size 13 3/4 x 10 inches (349 x 254 mm); sheet size 15 3/4 x 13 5/8 inches (400 x 346 mm). Matted to museum standards, unframed. Literature: illustrated in Dorothy Noyes Arms, 'Churches of France', The Macmillan Company, 1929. Impressions of this work are in the permanent collections of the Blanton Museum of Art, Chrysler Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Davis Museum (Wellesley), McNay Art Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design Museum, and the Whitney Museum of Art. ABOUT THE SUBJECT Rocamadour is a small clifftop village in south-central France. It is known for the Cité Réligieuse complex of religious buildings, accessed via the Grand Escalier staircase. It includes the Chapelle Notre-Dame, with its Black Madonna statue, and the Romanesque-Gothic Basilica of St-Sauveur. ABOUT THE ARTIST “John Taylor Arms will live on and on and future generations centuries from now will marvel at his work... . As a friend and as a man, he fully matched his superb work.” —John Winkler, printmaker Born in Washington, D.C. in 1887, John Taylor Arms attended the Lawrenceville School and began the study of law at Princeton University. In 1907, he transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and took up the study of architecture. Arms evolved his unique drafting style, with its highly realistic, precise detail and exquisitely rendered effects of light, from his experience and practice as an architectural student. He graduated in 1911 and completed a master’s degree the following year. He then worked as a draftsman with the well-known Carrere and Hastings Company in New York. In 1913 Arms was given a hobbyist’s etching set, and he began to dabble with copperplate and acid. In 1915, after copying a handful of prints by Jongkind and other Etching Revivalists, Arms created his first original etching. His early experiments were picturesque views of European villages, reflecting the influence of Whistler. He inked and printed several of these plates in color in the manner of Charles Mielatz...
Category

1920s American Realist Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

'L' Abside de Notre Dame' — Vintage 1920s Paris, Realism
By Anton Schutz
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Anton Schutz, 'L' Abside de Notre Dame' (The Apse of Notre Dame), etching, 1st state, c. 1927. Signed, titled, and annotated 'First State', in pencil. A supe...
Category

1920s Realist Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

'Notre-Dame, Paris' — Historic French Gothic Cathedral
By Anton Schutz
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Anton Schutz, 'Notre Dame, Paris', etching, 2nd state, 1927. Signed, titled, and annotated '2nd State', in pencil. Signed and dated in the plate, lower left. A superb, richly-inked...
Category

1920s Realist Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

'Westminster Abbey' — Royal Church, London
By Anton Schutz
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Anton Schutz, 'Westminster Abbey', etching, edition not stated, 1927. Signed in pencil. Signed and dated in the plate, lower left. A superb, richly-i...
Category

1920s American Realist Landscape Prints

Materials

Etching

New York Skyline, Sketch
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
A fine impression, on cream wove paper, with full margins (5/8 to 1 3/8 inches), in excellent condition. Edition 20. Signed and dated in pencil. Annotated 'Bolton Brown...
Category

1920s American Realist Landscape Prints

Materials

Lithograph

New York (from Ports of America)
By Louis Orr
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Louis Orr, 'New York' (from the portfolio 'Ports of America', published by Yale University Press, 1928), etching, 1925, edition not stated. Signed and titled in pencil. Signed in the...
Category

1920s Realist Landscape Prints

Materials

Etching

You May Also Like

Rouen; The Cathedral of Notre Dame from the South
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching on F.J. Head & Co. watermarked cream laid paper, 8 1/8 x 7 5/8 (205 x 184 mm), full margins. Signed and dated in pencil, lower margin. Illustrated in Dorothy Noyes Arms, Chur...
Category

1920s American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Laid Paper, Etching

Cathedral of Saint Cyr and Saint Julitta, Nevers
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching on antique cream laid paper, 12 7/8 x 5 1/2 inches (328 x 140 mm), full margins. Signed in pencil, lower margin. Laid down to non-archival board, general age tone and some ma...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Laid Paper, Handmade Paper, Etching

Notre Dame du Val, Provins / Thibaut
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching on bluish-grey wove paper, 8 5/8 x 5 1/8 inches (221 x 130 mm), full margins. Signed and dated in pencil. In good condition with light mat tone on the recto and various frame...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Handmade Paper, Laid Paper, Etching

Coutances
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching on thin, bluish-green cream laid paper, 9 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches (233 x 120 mm), full margins. Signed and dated in pencil, lower margin. First and only state. Printed by Frederi...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Laid Paper, Etching

Gloria, Saint Riquier; The Church of Saint Riquier; Gloria Ecclesiae Antiquae
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching on antique cream laid paper with an "England" watermark; 13 7/8 x 8 5/8 inches (353 x 221 mm), full margins. Signed, dated, titled, numbered "III," and inscribed in pencil. O...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Handmade Paper, Etching, Laid Paper

Basilica of Madeleine, Vezelay
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Basilica of Madeleine, Vezelay Etching, 1929 Signed and dated lower right (see photo) Annotated: "Third State" lower left Printed on a sheet of old book paper From: French Church Ser...
Category

1920s American Realist Landscape Prints

Materials

Etching