Alphonse Legros
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
image: 14.7 × 10.9 cm (5 13/16 × 4 5/16 in.) plate: 16.6 × 11.7 cm (6 9/16 × 4 5/8 in.) sheet: 29.1 × 20.4 cm (11 7/16 × 8 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of George Matthew Adams in memory of his mother, Lydia Havens Adams
Accession Number
1946.4.12
Art Historical Context
In 1861, French etcher Félix Bracquem created this intimate portrait etching of his contemporary, Alphonse Legros, capturing the essence of a fellow artist during a pivotal moment in 19th-century printmaking Rendered on laid paper—a traditional support with visible chain lines that lent etchings a tactile, handmade quality—the image measures a modest 14.7 × 10.9 cm, ideal for private collectors and artist circles. Bracquemond, a master of the medium, helped revive etching in France as a fine art form, rivaling painting in expressive depth. Etching, an intaglio technique involving acid biting ...
About the Artist
Félix Bracquemond · 1833–1914
French, Paris 1833–1914 Sèvres