Paul Verlaine II
Medium
Etching; third state of three (Asplund)
Dimensions
Plate: 9 3/8 × 6 5/16 in. (23.8 × 16 cm) Sheet: 17 13/16 × 12 13/16 in. (45.3 × 32.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.673
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in 1895 by Swedish artist Anders Zorn, this etching captures the French Symbolist poet Paul Verlaine toward the end of his life. Zorn, celebrated for his masterful command of printmaking, produced this work in three states, with the present example representing the final iteration. The medium of etching allowed Zorn to achieve remarkable tonal depth and spontaneity, qualities that made his portraits highly sought after by collectors in the late nineteenth century. The portrait reflects the era’s growing interest in literary figures as subjects for fine art. Verlaine, known for his inf...
About the Artist
Anders Zorn|Paul Verlaine · 1860–1920
Anders Zorn (1860–1920), one of Sweden's most celebrated artists, was born on February 18 in Utmeland near Mora in Dalarna, and raised on his maternal grandparents' farm in the nearby hamlet of Yvraden. Displaying prodigious talent from a young age, he attended school in Mora Strand until age twelve, followed by secondary grammar school in Enköping, where he excelled in drawing people and horses. ...