Fountain: Grotesque, Children and Basin (Une fountaine: Masque, enfants et bassin)
1826 to 1850
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of George Matthew Adams in memory of his mother, Lydia Havens Adams
Accession Number
1950.4.39
Art Historical Context
Alphonse Legros's *Fountain: Grotes, Children and Basin*Une fontaine: Masque, et bassin), created between 1826 and1850, is a delicate etching that captures a whimsical yet intricate scene of a fountain adorned with a grotesque mask, playful children, and a basin. As a master printmaker, Legros employed the etching technique—using acid to bite designs into a metal plate—to achieve fine lines and rich tonal contrasts, evoking the detailed realism of 19th-century European printmaking traditions. This medium was prized for its ability to produce multiple impressions, making art accessible beyond o...
About the Artist
Alphonse Legros · 1837–1911
Alphonse Legros (1837–1911) was born in Dijon, France, and trained in Paris at the drawing school of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, whose unconventional teaching method — which emphasised memory drawing and acute observation over academic convention — would leave a lasting mark on Legros's practice. At Lecoq's school he formed friendships with Jules Dalou and Auguste Rodin that endured throughout hi...