Seated Nude with a Cigarette
1826 to 1850
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 26.6 x 20.7 cm (10 1/2 x 8 1/8 in.) sheet: 32.9 x 25 cm (12 15/16 x 9 13/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell
Accession Number
1994.4.13
Art Historical Context
**Seated Nude with aarette** is a captivating etching by French artist Albert Besnard, between 1826 and1850. This intimate print depicts a relaxed female figure seated and smoking, blending classical nude studies with a touch of everyday modernity through the cigarette—a nod to emerging 19th-century boian culture. Rendered on laid paper, features distinctive chain lines from traditional handmade production, the work measures a modest plate size of 26.6 x 20.7 cm, making it ideal for personal collections. Besnard, renowned for his masterful printmaking, employed etching techniques to achieve r...
About the Artist
Albert Besnard
Paul-Albert Besnard, known as Albert Besnard, was born on June 2, 1849, in Paris to an artistic family: his father, Louis Adolphe Ferdinand Besnard, was a history painter and pupil of Ingres, while his mother, Marie Louise Pauline Vaillant, was a noted miniaturist trained under Lizinska de Mirbel. Precociously talented, he began his training under Jean-François Brémond before entering the École de...