Zittende bedelaar

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

Created in 1787 by Jean-Pierre Norblin de la Gourdaine, *Zittende bedelaar* (Seated Beggar) is a delicate etching just 96 by 72 millimeters. Norblin, a French artist who spent many years at the Polish court, was renowned for his sensitive genre scenes and prints Deeply influenced by seventeenth-century Dutch masters, particularly Rembrandt, he often turned to humble subjects like beggars and street figures, capturing both their dignity and hardship with remarkable economy of line. Etching was ideally suited to such intimate works. The technique allowed artists to achieve fine, expressive lines and subtle tonal effects on a small copper plate, making prints affordable and widely collectible. At this miniature scale, the image invites close viewing, rewarding the observer with delicate details of posture and drapery that evoke a quiet moment of human vulnerability. The presence of collector’s mark Lugt 2228 further attests to the print’s appeal among connoisseurs. Such marks document the work’s journey through distinguished collections, underscoring its lasting value as both an artistic and historical document of eighteenth-century European printmaking.