Daphnis wordt gewassen door Cloë

About this artwork

**Daphnis wordt gew door Cloë** is a delicate wood engraving created by Lucien Pissarro 1899, capturing a tender moment from classical mythology. The title, translating from Dutch as "Daph is washed by Chloe," from the ancient Greek pastoral romance *Daphnis and Chloe by Longus, ev themes of youthful love and nature's innocence. Lucien, the eldest son of Impressionist master Camille Pissarro, was a skilled practitioner of Neo-Impressionism and Pointillism, but here he channels his expertise into printmaking, blending his father's influence with a precise, illustrative finesse. Measuring just 126mm high by 141mm wide, this intimate work exemplifies wood engraving—a meticulous intaglio technique where fine lines are incised into the end grain of wood blocks for exceptional detail and tonal subtlety. Popular in the late 19th century for book illustrations and fine art prints, it allowed artists like Pissarro to achieve the luminosity and texture akin to painting. The piece bears a collector's stamp (Lugt 1756b) on the lower right verso, signaling its provenance from a distinguished European collection and underscoring its value among connoisseurs. Pissarro's engraving reflects the fin-de-siècle fascination with pastoral idylls and classical revival, bridging 19th-century French art with emerging British print traditions through his Eragny Press collaborations. A charming window into mythological reverie, it invites visitors to appreciate the artistry in miniature scale.