Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (La Reine Élisabeth de Belgique)
1917
Medium
etching, drypoint, and printed tone on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 30.9 x 24.8 cm (12 3/16 x 9 3/4 in.) sheet: 32.6 x 25.4 cm (12 13/16 x 10 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Accession Number
1991.28.11
Art Historical Context
In 1917, amid the harrowing final years of World War I, French artist Besnard created this striking portrait etching of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Known for her extraordinary compassion—nursing wounded soldiers and rallying international support for her invaded nation—Elisabeth became a symbol resilience and humanity. Besnard, a of Symbolist-influenced portraiture and decorative arts, captured her poised dignity, reflecting the era's admiration for royal fortitude during crisis. The work employs a sophisticated mixed-media technique: etching for precise lines, drypoint for velvety burrs that ...
About the Artist
Albert Besnard
Paul-Albert Besnard, known as Albert Besnard, was born on June 2, 1849, in Paris to an artistic family: his father, Louis Adolphe Ferdinand Besnard, was a history painter and pupil of Ingres, while his mother, Marie Louise Pauline Vaillant, was a noted miniaturist trained under Lizinska de Mirbel. Precociously talented, he began his training under Jean-François Brémond before entering the École de...