The Beach at Villerville
1837–78
Medium
Etching; third state of five (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 3 5/8 × 8 7/8 in. (9.2 × 22.5 cm) Plate: 5 in. × 8 1/2 in. (12.7 × 21.6 cm) Sheet: 17 5/8 × 12 3/8 in. (44.8 × 31.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.29.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Beach at Villerville is a delicate etching by Charles-François Daigny, a leading French landscape artist of the 19th century and a key figure in the Barbizon School. Created between 1837 and 1878—this print represents the third state of five as catalogued by Loys Delteil—it captures a serene coastal scene at Villerville a Normandy beach popular among artists. Daubigny, known for his poetic depictions of nature, here renders horses pulling carts, beached boats, and the vast shoreline with masterful line work, evoking the everyday rhythm of seaside life. As an etching, the medium allowed ...
About the Artist
Charles-François Daubigny · 1817–1878
Charles-François Daubigny was born on February 15, 1817, in Paris into a family of artists, with his father, Edmé-François Daubigny, a classical landscape painter, and his uncle, Pierre Daubigny, a miniaturist, providing his initial artistic training. He further studied under Jean-Victor Bertin, Jacques Raymond Brascassat, and Paul Delaroche at the École des Beaux-Arts, though he quickly moved bey...