PORTE DE L'ENFER, (THE GATES OF HELL)

Watercolor in grey and black, pen and ink, collage. Signed in pencil. Prov: Count de Cantacuzène, stamp on verso. 11 1/4 x 9. Photos available. Daniel Vierge is often referred to as "The Father of Modern Illustration". born in Madrid to a noted illustrator. He studied at the Madrid Academy and by the age of 16 was working for a leading local paper, Madrid la nuit. In 1869 he moved to Paris to become a painter. His illustrations appeared, starting with the Sept. 17, 1870 issue, in Le Monde Illustre, a leading Paris magazine. Vierge with the photo-engraver Gillot revolutionized the reproduction of illustrations. In 1882 the publication of his edition of Francisco de Quevedo's Historia de la vida del Buscón llamado don Pablos (The Life Story of a Swindler Called Don Pablos) brought the technique of photo-reproduction to a high level of finish. Prior to that time, most artists and engravers had been forced to rely on tracings and other manual methods which often resulted in interpretations of the artists' works.