La petite forge
Medium
Etching on paper
Dimensions
Image: 5.6 × 4.8 cm (2 1/4 × 1 15/16 in.); Plate: 8.8 × 8.2 cm (3 1/2 × 3 1/4 in.); Sheet: 29.5 × 21.4 cm (11 5/8 × 8 7/16 in.)
Classification
mezzotint
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
75216
Art Historical Context
**La Petite Forge** by Charles Émile Jacque the humble charm of rural French life, likely depicting a small blacksmith's forge bustling with everyday activity. Jacque (1813–1894), a prominent of the Barbizon School was renowned for his intimate portrayals of peasants, farm animals, and pastoral scenes. This undated etching reflects his mastery in translating the gritty realism of 19th-century countryside labor into delicate print form, evoking a sense of quiet industriousness amid natural surroundings. Printed as a mezzotint on paper—a technique that involves roughening a copper plate to crea...