Castle with Two Wings
c. 1885
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
image: 12 × 18.3 cm (4 3/4 × 7 3/16 in.) plate: 14.8 × 20.8 cm (5 13/16 × 8 3/16 in.) sheet: 22 × 32.8 cm (8 11/16 × 12 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Carol and James Goodfriend
Accession Number
2021.113.62
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
"Castle with Two Wings" is a delicate etching created around 1885 by the French artist Maxime Lalanne. Rendered on laid paper, the print measures just 12 by 18.3 centimeters in the image area, inviting close inspection of its finely incised lines. The composition presents a stately castle with symmetrical wings, its architectural forms emerging through the precise, tonal contrasts characteristic of the etching medium. Etching allowed Lalanne to capture subtle textures of stone and surrounding landscape with remarkable economy, a technique prized in the nineteenth century for its ability to convey both grandeur and intimacy in small formats. The plate marks and sheet size further emphasize the work’s origins as a hand-pulled print, meant to be appreciated in the hand or within a collector’s portfolio. Now part of the National Gallery of Art’s collection through the generous gift of Carol and James Goodfriend, this impression preserves the quiet poetry of historic architecture as interpreted through Lalanne’s skilled hand.
About the Artist
Maxime Lalanne · 1827–1886
François Antoine Maxime Lalanne (1827–1886) was born in Bordeaux into a family of civil servants, initially pursuing classical studies and a law career. At the Institution Oré, he learned drawing from instructor Saulnier and showed early promise, exhibiting pencil and pastel works at Bordeaux's Philomathique Society in 1850, where he earned a bronze medal. Encouraged by architect Léo Drouyn, Lalan...