The Rubens Hat
1875
Medium
Etching on laid paper; first state of two
Dimensions
Plate: 10 7/16 x 6 7/8 in. (26.5 x 17.5 cm) Sheet: 18 1/8 x 13 in. (46 x 33 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1924
Accession Number
24.73.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
James Tissot's *The Rubens Hat* (1875) is a delicate etching on laid paper, capturing the elegance of Victorian fashion in its first state of two—a rare proof before any revisions, prized by collectors for its pristine lines and spontaneity. Measuring 10 7/16 x 6 7/8 inches on the plate, this print Tissot's mastery of intaglio techniques, where acid bites into a metal plate to create rich, velvety textures. The French-born artist, who thrived in London's cosmopolitan scene during the 1870s, was renowned for his precise depictions of high society, blending Realism with a flair for contemporary ...
About the Artist
James Tissot · 1836–1902
James Tissot (1836–1902) was a French painter and printmaker who spent much of his career in England and became renowned for his meticulously detailed depictions of fashionable Victorian society. Born Jacques Joseph Tissot in Nantes, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Louis Lamothe and Hippolyte Flandrin and exhibited at the Salon from 1859. Tissot's early career in Paris produ...