Satan Sowing Tare (Satan semant l'ivraie)
1826 to 1850
Medium
aquatint and etching
Dimensions
plate: 27.7 x 20.9 cm (10 7/8 x 8 1/4 in.) sheet: 37.6 x 26.4 cm (14 13/16 x 10 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1951.10.401
Art Historical Context
Félicien Rops' *Satan Sowing TareSatan semant l'ivraie)*, an aquatint and etching 1826 to 1850, a dramatic biblical allusion from the Parable of the Wheat and Tares in 13. Here, Satan stealthily sows invasive weeds (ivraie, or darnel) among the wheat, symbolizing evil infiltrating the good. This print, measuring 27.7 x 20.9 cm on the plate, exemplifies Rops fascination with the macabre and moral allegory, blending fantasy with subtle social critique in his distinctive 19th-century style. Printed techniques like etching—for precise, incisive lines—and aquatint—for velvety tonal gradients—allow...
About the Artist
Félicien Rops · 1833–1898
Félicien Rops, born Félicien Victor Joseph Rops on July 7, 1833, in Namur, Belgium, to a prosperous textile manufacturing family, displayed prodigious artistic talent from youth. The only child of Nicholas Rops and Sophie Maubile, he received private tutoring until age ten, followed by education at a Jesuit school in Namur (1843–1848), the Athénée Royal de Namur, and the Academy of Fine Arts there...