Blacksmith Facing Left
Medium
Etching, engraving and roulette on cream China paper laid down on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 13.3 × 11.6 cm (5 1/4 × 4 5/8 in.); Chine: 14.3 × 12.4 cm (5 11/16 × 4 15/16 in.); Plate: 15.6 × 13.4 cm (6 3/16 × 5 5/16 in.); Sheet: 42.4 × 29.9 cm (16 3/4 × 11 13/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
45671
Art Historical Context
In the mid-19th century, French artist Charles Émile Jacque captured the grit and dignity of rural life through his masterful prints. *Blacksmith Facing Left* (1850), from the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings collection, depicts a solitary blacksmith in profile, evoking the hardworking figures of the French countryside. Jacque, a key member of the Barbizon School, drew inspiration from everyday laborers and pastoral scenes, bridging Romanticism's emotional depth with emerging Realism. This etching reflects the era's fascination with pre-industrial trades amid France's rapid moder...