Artwork

Convoi Funèbre au Boulevard de Clichy (Funeral Procession on the Boulevard de Clichy)

Convoi Funèbre au Boulevard de Clichy (Funeral Procession on the Boulevard de Clichy) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Félix-Hilaire Buhot. It dates from 1887 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower right in graphite: épreuve d'essai du [?] / Felix Buhot; lower left in plate: Insouciant Flaneur, ennemi des Chloroses / Ce croquemort defunt trouvait plaisant de voir / Sur des ciels Parisiens aux tons bleus gris ou roses / Deux ou trois corbillards se detacher en noir (The care-free idler, enemy of chlorosis [anemia] / This dead undertaker's man [mute] used to take pleasure in seeing / Against Parisian skies of blue, gray, or rose, / Two or three hearses, silhouetted in black) / Felix Buhot 1887

About this work

Overview

Félix‑Hilaire Buhot’s 1887 print, titled Convoi Funèbre au Boulevard de Clichy, captures a funeral procession moving along a Parisian thoroughfare. Rendered in a limited palette of blue‑green and brown‑black, the image presents a horse‑drawn carriage flanked by pedestrians beneath a cloud‑filled sky, conveying a muted, contemplative atmosphere.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on a somber civic ritual: a carriage bearing a coffin proceeds down the Boulevard de Clichy, while onlookers and passersby line the street. The restrained tonal scheme underscores the gravity of death within an urban setting, inviting reflection on the intersection of private mourning and public space.

Technique & Style

Buhot combined heliogravure, etching, aquatint, and drypoint, employing burnishing to achieve subtle tonal variations. The print’s surface exhibits delicate gradations of blue‑green and brown‑black, characteristic of late‑19th‑century French printmaking that bridges Impressionist attention to atmospheric effect with Realist fidelity to everyday life.

History & Provenance

Created in 1887, the work entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains on view. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s commitment to representing French print traditions of the period, though earlier ownership details are not extensively documented.

Context

The image was produced during a period when Parisian artists increasingly documented modern city life, often focusing on transient moments such as processions, markets, and street scenes. Buhot’s choice of a funeral procession aligns with contemporary interests in portraying both the spectacle and the melancholy of urban experience.