Engel en vrouw in landschap

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso midden, gestempeld: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

Rodolphe Bresdin'sEngel en vrouw inschap* (Angel and Woman in Landscape), created in 1841, is a delicate etching measuring just 49 mm high by 84 mm wide. At only 19 years old, French artist produced this intimate vision, blending ethereal figures with a fantastical natural setting—a hallmark of his early Romantic-inspired style. Bresdin, often called a "visionary draftsman," drew from literary and mystical influences, crafting dreamlike scenes that evoke wonder and otherworldliness. Etching allowed Bresdin to showcase his extraordinary technical prowess, using fine, intricate lines incised into a metal plate and bitten by acid to create subtle textures and depth. This miniature format demands precision, resulting in a richly detailed landscape where the angel and woman appear suspended in a poetic, timeless realm. The work bears a collector's mark (Lugt 2228) stamped verso, signaling its esteemed provenance among print enthusiasts. Though lesser-known today, Bresdin's prints profoundly influenced later Symbolists like Odilon Redon. This piece captures the 19th-century fascination with the supernatural amid industrialization, inviting viewers to linger over its tiny, magical world and ponder the interplay of human spirit and nature.

About the Artist

Rodolphe Bresdin · 1822–1885

Rodolphe Bresdin (1822–1885) was a visionary French draughtsman, engraver, and lithographer whose fantastical imagery captured the empathy of rural poverty and the wild exuberance of the imagination. Born on August 12, 1822, in Montrelais near Le Fresne-sur-Loire in Brittany, he grew up in the Breton countryside amid its bardic folklore traditions before a family dispute left him homeless in Paris...