Frontispiece

Series Title: Improvisations sur cuivre

1865

CADART & LUQUET

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Culture

France

Medium

etching

Measurements

Image: 31 x 23.8 cm (12 3/16 x 9 3/8 in.); Plate: 31.5 x 24 cm (12 3/8 x 9 7/16 in.); Sheet: 56.1 x 36.4 cm (22 1/16 x 14 5/16 in.)

Credit Line

Carole W. and Charles B. Rosenblatt Endowment Fund 2023.18.1

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

The prints of series like François-Nicolas Chifflart’s Improvisations on Copper were often separated over time; complete sets like this one are rare today.

Description

François-Nicolas Chifflart was an important member of the etching revival in 19th-century France. This print, from his 1865 series Improvisations on Copper, reveals the freedom and experimentation that Chifflart found in this medium. He drew directly on prepared copper plates, sketching as he would on a sheet of paper, to create both anecdotal studies and imaginative finished compositions. Executed on an intimate scale, the prints encouraged close looking and private contemplation.

A vertically oriented print in black ink depicts a central rectangular block inscribed with text. Atop the block, a winged figure crouches with its face hidden. To our left, a seated figure with light skin gazes upward. To our right, a man stands tied to the stone, raising his right arm. An artist's palette, brushes, and a creature rest at the bottom. Heavy shadows and fine lines create high contrast throughout.

Frontispiece

1865

Nicolas-François Chifflart, Auguste Delâtre, CADART & LUQUET

(French, 1825–1901)

France

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