The Auction House: The Auctioneer
1863, printed 1920
Medium
Wood engraving on cream Japanese paper
Dimensions
Image: 22.6 × 16.3 cm (8 15/16 × 6 7/16 in.); Sheet: 45.5 × 31.9 cm (17 15/16 × 12 9/16 in.)
Classification
wood engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
30449
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling world of 19th-century commerce with *The Auction House: The Auctioneer* by Charles Maurand, in 1863 and printed in 1920. This wood captures the dramatic energy of an auction scene, centering on the auctioneer in a moment of fervent persuasion. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints Drawings Department, the image measures 22.6 × 16.3 cm on a larger sheet of luxurious cream Japanese paper, highlighting its status as a refined print. Wood engraving, the chosen medium, was a pinnacle of 19th-century printmaking technique. Artists like Maurand incised fine details d...