Finding the Sheep (Le mouton retrouve)
1826 to 1850
Medium
etching in brown
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
1946.4.9
Art Historical Context
Alphonse Legros's etching "Finding the Sheep (Le mouton retrouve)" invites viewers into a quiet, narrative moment captured in brown ink. As a print, this work showcases the etching technique, where the artist uses acid to incise lines into a metal plate, allowing for delicate details and tonal variations that bring the scene to life. The choice of brown ink lends a warm, antique quality, typical of many 19th-century prints. This piece, classified as a print in the National Gallery of Art's collection, was a generous gift from George Matthew Adams in memory of his mother, Lydia Havens Adams. S...
About the Artist
Alphonse Legros · 1837–1911
Alphonse Legros (1837–1911) was born in Dijon, France, and trained in Paris at the drawing school of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, whose unconventional teaching method — which emphasised memory drawing and acute observation over academic convention — would leave a lasting mark on Legros's practice. At Lecoq's school he formed friendships with Jules Dalou and Auguste Rodin that endured throughout hi...