The Feathered Turban (Le turban à aigrette)
1901
Medium
etching and drypoint on laid Van Gelder paper
Dimensions
image: 19.3 × 17.4 cm (7 5/8 × 6 7/8 in.) plate: 23.9 × 18.3 cm (9 7/16 × 7 3/16 in.) sheet (irreg.): 32.9 × 25.2 cm (12 15/16 × 9 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.1482
Art Historical Context
Albert Besnard's *The Feathered TurbanLe turban à a)*, created in 1901, the elegance of Belle Époque fashion through the intimate medium of printmaking. This French artist, renowned for his luminous portraits and decorative murals, showcases his mastery in etching and drypoint on fine laid Van Gelder paper premium Dutch stock favored by 19th- and early 20th-century printmakers for its texture and durability. The image measures 19.3 × 17.4 cm, with the plate slightly larger at 23.9 × 18.3 cm, allowing for generous margins that enhance its presentation as a collector's piece. Etching involves i...
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...