Artwork

La Place des Martyrs et La Taverne du Bagne (The Place des Martyrs and the Jailhouse Tavern)

La Place des Martyrs et La Taverne du Bagne (The Place des Martyrs and the Jailhouse Tavern) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Félix-Hilaire Buhot. It dates from 1885 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower right in plate: FELIX BUHOT_Nov._1885; lower center with red stamp: FB (Lugt 977); lower right in plate (vertically): O Forçats!; across bottom in plate: Pendant qu'ils sont la-bas rivés a des labeurs / Eternels par la griffe implacable des chaines / Ayant sur eux la Chiourme au dedans des gehennes / Et crachant en jurons immondes leurs rancoeurs / O Forçats! Tout le Bien que leur misère inspire / C'est de battre la caisse avec ces désepoirs / Ici dans un boulet le Passant trouve a rire / Et la chaine en gros sous tinte sur les comptoirs; by later hand, upper right in graphite: B 163-; by later hand, lower left verso in graphite: APG 8949; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: 27024 / [s]call / La Taverne du Bagne

About this work

Overview

La Place des Martyrs et La Taverne du Bagne is a print created by Félix-Hilaire Buhot in 1885 using various techniques on cream laid paper.

Subject & Meaning

The print depicts a crowded street scene with a tall building bearing a sign reading 'Taverne du Bagne', surrounded by pedestrians, a horse-drawn carriage, and trees, evoking a dark and busy atmosphere.

Technique & Style

Buhot employed a range of techniques, including etching, aquatint, and drypoint, to achieve depth and texture, particularly in the building's windows and the crowd, with selective wiping and burnishing adding to the overall effect.