French Equestrian

French Equestrian

Extraordinary quarter-plate French daguerreotype by renowned artist Pierre- Ambrose Richebourg (1810– 1893) of a debonair French Equestrian. He is posed with a rarely seen Trompe Maricourt Horn with 8 windings which reached a length of two meters, the same as the trumpet. This handsome sportsman is dressed meticulously in a fashionable riding outfit with cool striped pants. He gives a sly peer from under the brim of his hat with all the confidence in the world. His horn is draped around his arm which is resting on a large tree stump. His other hand holds his riding crop. The bright white temporary background and the natural wood certainly provide us the feel that this was captured right before the hunt!  Pierre Ambroise Richebourg (1810-1875) was a Paris optician who was apprenticed to Vincent Chevalier and subsequently opened his shop in Paris on Quai de l’Horloge. Richebourg is most noted as a student of Louis Daguerre and as a master of the daguerreotype method of photography. He was also the first person to take daguerreotype images using a solar microscope under the direction of Alfred Donné at the college of France. This sharp image has lovely tones and contrast with a few tiny marks and a light tarnish line from a break in the original glass. New front glass has been added and it is now resealed. It is housed in a lovely light stained wood frame that would look marvelous in any home. A rare image that is a star of any collection! $1,700