The Grapeleaf
1895
Medium
Heliogravure, with drypoint, on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 19.8 × 14 cm (7 13/16 × 5 9/16 in.); Plate: 21.6 × 15 cm (8 9/16 × 5 15/16 in.); Sheet: 27 × 17.4 cm (10 11/16 × 6 7/8 in.)
Classification
photogravure
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
104329
Art Historical Context
### The Grapeleaf by Félicienops Nestled in the Prints and Drawings department the Art Institute of Chicago *The Grapeleaf* (1895) by Belgian Félicien Rops visitors into the intricate world of late 19th-century printmaking. Rops, a master of provocative and detailed etchings, crafted this intimate image—measuring just 19.8 × 14 cm—using heliogravure (a precise photogravure process) enhanced with drypoint on creamy ivory laid paper. The plate (21.6 × 15 cm) and sheet (27 × 17.4 cm) dimensions underscore its status as a refined collector's piece, perfect for close contemplation. Heliogravure, ...
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...