Les Filets (The Nets)
Medium
etching and aquatint printed in brown on laid paper
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1974.33.58
Art Historical Context
Jean-Baptiste Le Prince’s 1771 print *Les Filets (The Nets)* captures a quiet moment of everyday labor, likely depicting figures handling fishing nets. A French artist who spent several years in Russia, Le Prince became celebrated for bringing fresh scenes of Russian peasant life to European audiences. Created just a few years after his return to France, the work reflects the period’s growing fascination with distant cultures and the dignity of ordinary work. The print’s real innovation lies in its medium. Le Prince was among the first to master aquatint in France, a technique that produces s...
About the Artist
Jean-Baptiste Le Prince · 1734–1781
Comment on works: Genre; Landscapes; Portraits; Copper engraver; Illustrator; Master draughtsman