A stout man in large cloak
1859
Medium
etching
Dimensions
84; 118
About this artwork
height 118 mm x width 84 mm
Art Historical Context
Léopold Flameng’s 1859 etching “A stout man in large cloak” captures a compact yet expressive portrait of a robust figure wrapped in heavy, enveloping fabric. At just 118 by 84 millimeters, the work’s small scale encourages intimate viewing, drawing attention to the subtle play of light and shadow across the cloak’s folds and the man’s solid stance. Etching, a favored printmaking technique of the nineteenth century, enabled artists to create fine, precise lines and rich tonal effects by biting designs into metal plates with acid. Flameng’s use of this medium here highlights its capacity for ...
About the Artist
Léopold Flameng · 1831–1911
Léopold Flameng (1831–1911) was one of the most accomplished and influential French engravers of the 19th century, whose exceptional technical mastery and artistic sensitivity made him the preeminent interpreter of paintings by old and modern masters through the medium of engraving. Born in Brussels on November 22, 1831, to French parents, and dying at Courgent, near Paris, on September 5, 1911, F...