The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of January 28, 2023

Rural Recreation

1769

Jean Baptiste Le Prince

(French, 1734–1781)

France, 18th century

Etching and aquatint

Sheet: 58.5 x 43.5 cm (23 1/16 x 17 1/8 in.); Platemark: 37.7 x 29.8 cm (14 13/16 x 11 3/4 in.)

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1927.334

Catalogue raisonné: Le Blanc, vol. II, p. 539, no. 45 (Inventiare du Fonds Français 131)

Location

not on view

Description

To create printed reproductions of his wash drawings, Le Prince refined the method of aquatint, which uses particles of resin and acid to etch areas of granular tone into the printing plate. The finished effect imitates the subtle gradations of light and shadow achieved in wash drawings like Landscape with Watermill.

Exhibition history

Highlights of the Rococo: Norweb Ceramics and Related Arts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 11, 1983-June 3, 1984).

Inventive Impressions: 18th- and 19-Century French Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001).

Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 6, 2016).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1927.334