Man Holding a Mule before a House
early 19th century
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 7/8 × 9 1/4 in. (22.5 × 23.5 cm) Plate: 7 15/16 × 8 1/8 in. (20.2 × 20.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Algernon S. Sullivan, 1919
Accession Number
19.56.48
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming etching, created in early 19th-century France, depicts a humble rural scene of a man standing with his mule before a modest house. Attributed in part to Jean-Jacques deissieu, a noted French draftsman and printmaker, the work reflects the period’s interest in everyday countryside life. listed as anonymous, the composition echoes de Boissieu’s sensitive approach to landscape and genre subjects. Etching, the chosen medium, allowed artists to achieve fine lines and tonal depth through acid-bitten metal plates, making detailed images widely reproducible and affordable. Such prints c...