Cross of Chaudesaigues
Medium
Lithograph in black on light gray chine collé laid down on ivory wove paper; second state of two
Dimensions
Sheet: 20 7/8 × 13 7/8 in. (53 × 35.3 cm) Image: 14 3/8 × 9 15/16 in. (36.5 × 25.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William M. Ivins Jr., 1922
Accession Number
22.85.13
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the Romantic spirit of 19th-century France with Eugène Isabey's *Cross of Chaudesaigues* (1831), a lithograph printed by master lithographer Godefroymann. This second-state impression captures a rustic stone cross—a wayside monument in the Auvergne village of Chaudesaigues—amidst weathered buildings, with figures of men and a loyal dog adding a touch of everyday life Rendered in bold black ink on light gray chine collé (a thin Chinese paper adhered to sturdy ivory wove support), the 20⅞ × 13⅞-inch sheet showcases the medium's genius for translating Isabey's fluid drawings into afford...
About the Artist
Eugène Isabey|Godefroy Engelmann
Eugène Isabey (1803–1886) was a French painter and lithographer known for his dramatic seascapes, coastal scenes, and historical compositions. Born in Paris, he was the son of the celebrated miniaturist and portraitist Jean-Baptiste Isabey, who provided his early artistic training. The younger Isabey studied briefly with various masters but was largely shaped by his father's studio and by his own ...