Artwork
Charles Meryon
Charles Meryon is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Félix Bracquemond. It dates from 1854 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:along left side of medallion in plate: CH. MERYON; lower left in plate in red ink: B (underlined) / a / C.M. [Bracquemond to Charles Meryon]; lower center to lower right in plate: Imp. A. Delâtre. Rue No. St Etienne du Mont No 26.; bottom right, in graphite: Bracquemond Portrait de Ch Meryon - [indecipherable] / (E E 2535); verso, bottrom right, in graphite: 5094
- Markings
- Marked:verso, stamped in black ink: National Gallery of Art Rosenwald Collection (Lugt 1932d); stamped in black ink: [mark indecipherable]
About this work
Overview
Created in 1854, this print by Félix Henri Bracquemond portrays the French etcher Charles Meryon. Executed in brown‑black and a touch of red on laid paper, the image presents Meryon in profile, his hair rendered in loose, tangled strokes and his beard densely textured, illuminated from the left against a predominantly dark background.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait captures the likeness of Meryon, a noted 19th‑century artist celebrated for his own etchings of Parisian architecture. By focusing on his facial features and the interplay of light and shadow, Bracquemond emphasizes the intensity and individuality of the sitter, hinting at the creative vigor that defined Meryon’s work.
Technique & Style
Bracquemond employed traditional etching, incising lines into a metal plate before printing onto laid paper. The composition combines stark brown‑black tones with selective red accents, including the artist’s monogram B.a.C.M. in the corner. The rapid, tangled rendering of hair and the textured beard demonstrate a loose, expressive hand characteristic of mid‑century French printmaking.
History & Provenance
Félix Henri Bracquemond (1822‑1894) was a French painter, etcher, and printmaker who contributed to the revival of printmaking in the mid‑1800s. Though primarily known for his own artistic output, Bracquemond’s work influenced contemporaries such as Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas and later intersected with the Japonisme movement through his ceramic designs.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Félix Henri Bracquemond was a French painter, etcher, and printmaker. He played a key role in the revival of printmaking, encouraging artists such as Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro to use this technique.
