Hat and Guitar. Cover design for "Eaux-fortes par Edouard Manet," an album of fourteen etchings
1862
Medium
Etching, drypoint, and aquatint; final state on blue laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 9 x 8 1/2in. (22.9 x 21.6cm) sheet: 16 5/8 x 11 9/16in. (42.2 x 29.4cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1921
Accession Number
21.76.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Edouard Manet's *Hat and Guitar* (1862) is a charming cover design for his self-published album *Eaux-fortes par Edouard Manet*, featuring fourteen etchings that showcase his early mastery of printmaking. Created during a pivotal moment in Manet's career—just before his groundbreaking paintings like *Olympia*—this intimate still life captures everyday objects: a soft hat draped casually beside a guitar. Printed on distinctive blue laid paper, it evokes the bohemian spirit of 19th-century Paris, blending the ordinary with artistic elegance. Manet employed a sophisticated mix of etching, drypoi...
About the Artist
Edouard Manet · 1832–1883
Édouard Manet (1832-1883) was a French painter who played a pivotal role in the transition from Realism to Impressionism, often called the 'Father of Modern Art.' Born into a wealthy Parisian family, Manet defied his father's wishes for a legal career to pursue painting, studying under academic artist Thomas Couture. His revolutionary works 'Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe' and 'Olympia' (both 1863) scand...