Frontispiece to Margot la Ravaudeuse
1868
Medium
Etching on grayish ivory laid chine
Dimensions
Image: 12.1 × 7.8 cm (4 13/16 × 3 1/8 in.); Plate: 19.8 × 13 cm (7 13/16 × 5 1/8 in.); Sheet: 26.3 × 17.8 cm (10 3/8 × 7 1/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
49403
Art Historical Context
Félicien Rops, a pioneering Belgian artist of the 19th century created *Frontispiece to Margot Ravaudeuse* in 1868 as an title page for a literary work. Known for his bold, satirical etchings that blended eroticism, fantasy, and social critique, Rops bridged Realism and the emerging Symbolist movement. This intimate print captures his signature style: intricate lines evoking sensuality and the macabre, often challenging Victorian-era moral conventions during a time of cultural upheaval in Europe. Rendered as an etching on grayish ivory laid chine—a delicate technique where a thin Chinese pape...
About the Artist
Félicien Rops · 1833–1898
Félicien Rops, born Félicien Victor Joseph Rops on July 7, 1833, in Namur, Belgium, to a prosperous textile manufacturing family, displayed prodigious artistic talent from youth. The only child of Nicholas Rops and Sophie Maubile, he received private tutoring until age ten, followed by education at a Jesuit school in Namur (1843–1848), the Athénée Royal de Namur, and the Academy of Fine Arts there...