The Diva (La Diva)
1888
Medium
Etching and drypoint on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 11 x 8 3/4 in. (28 x 22.3 cm) plate: 5 1/2 x 4 7/16 in. (14 x 11.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Bella C. Landauer, 1926
Accession Number
26.28.152(49)
Art Historical Context
Created in 1888, *The Diva (La Diva)* is a delicate etching and drypoint print by Dr. Paul Gachet, a French physician and amateur deeply connected to the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist circles. Gachet, best known today as Vincent van Gogh’s friend and doctor in Auvers-sur-Oise, produced this small-scale work on laid paper during a period when he actively explored printmaking alongside his medical practice. The intimate plate size—just over five by four inches—suggests a personal, reflective approach rather than a large public statement. The combination of etching and drypoint techniques...