Fishing [La pesca]
![Fishing [La pesca] by Antonio Fontanesi](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/fishing-la-pesca-nga-160886.webp)
Medium
etching on chine collé, proof before letters
Dimensions
sheet: 36.4 × 28 cm (14 5/16 × 11 in.) plate: 25.6 × 18.8 cm (10 1/16 × 7 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund
Accession Number
2013.30.18
Art Historical Context
Antonio Fontanesi's *Fishing [La pesca]*, created in 1864, the serene beauty of rural life through the delicate medium of etching on chine collé. This proof before letters—an early impression without added text—highlights the artist's masterful linework on a thin Chinese paper adhered to a stronger support, a technique that allowed for subtle tonal gradations and fine details while preventing ink from bleeding. Measuring 36.4 × 28 cm on the sheet, intimate print exemplifies Fontanesi's skill in translating painterly effects into printmaking. A pivotal figure in 19th-century Italian art, Fonta...