Porte Prescott, Quebec City, Canada - signed, limited edition hand-colored offers intaglio (Debra-Lynn Taylor)
"Porte Prescott" is a wonderful etching intaglio by artist Debra-Lynn Taylor, marrying the Prescott Gate of lower town Quebec City with the historic, Old Quebec upper town Château Frontenac standing above. It includes a pocketed-in-backing artist biography (see below, and photo attached). Measuring 5" x 3.25" sight and 11" x 9.25" in high-quality, gilt wood frame, double matted and behind glass. In excellent condition.
The gates of Quebec - of which Porte Prescott is one - are works integrated into the system of walls and fortifications surrounding part of the city of Quebec . There are currently four remaining. The first gates were built in the 17th century during the French regime. Others were added at the time of the British regime from the 18th century. Guarded by soldiers, the gates were closed at night, thus isolating the upper town of Quebec from the surrounding area.
Most of the gates were demolished and rebuilt several times. Since they constituted a serious obstacle to urban traffic, several gates were offers demolished in 1871 to allow better access to new centers of development: the station, the port, and the suburbs. However, three gates still exist today. Nowadays, six accesses allow entry to the interior of Old Quebec.
The Prescott Gate was erected in 1797 under British rule. It faced east. Located in the Côte de la Montagne, it closed the communication channel between the lower town and the upper town. It lodged the soldiers of guard. It bore the name of Robert Prescott , Governor General of Canada at that time . It was demolished in 1871 . Today there is an elevated pedestrian bridge, built in 1983 , which spans the Côte de la Montagne. This footbridge, although named "Prescott Gate", has nothing in common with what was the Prescott Gate.
The Château Frontenac is situated at the eastern edge of Old Quebec's Upper Town, built on the promontory of Quebec, a raised mass of land that projects into the Saint Lawrence River. The hotel property is bounded by rue Saint Louis to the north, and rue Mont Carmel to the south. Terrasse Dufferin is a terrace that wraps around the hotel from the northeast to the southeast, overlooking the Saint Lawrence River. Two public roads run through the hotel, rue du Trésor, and rue des Carrières. The hotel building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in January 1981, known as the Château Frontenac National Historic Site of Canada.
From the attached artist bio: "Descendant of an old Irish family established in Lac-Beauport since 1734. Debra-Lynn was born January 6th 1958. In 1976, she pursued her artistic education in fine arts at Champlain Regional College in Lennoxville.
Between 1977 - 1988, Debra-Lynn familiarized herself with different art forms, such as drawing, pen and ink, watercolor and etching on copper. In 1988, she studied painting with Ginette Beaulieu. During 1989 and 1990, she exhibited her colored crayon drawings executed on paper and polyester film in Quebec.
In 1992, having been selected for a site on "rue du Treson" . Debra-Lynn produced a series of pen-and-ink drawings. In 1996, she reunited with oil painting through landscapes and still lifes, which revealed once again the artist pronounced interest for the simple joys of life. In 1997, she pursued with an exhibition of oils on canvas in Lac-Beauport.
The year 1998 was devoted to etching. The work of Debra-Lynn is caracterized by the finesse of life, the play of light and shadow and the delicate warm tones. A search for harmony between the past and the present can be discerned throughout the artist themes."