The Silk Gown (La robe de soie)
1887
Medium
etching and drypoint on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 36.8 × 23.7 cm (14 1/2 × 9 5/16 in.) sheet: 47.5 × 32.6 cm (18 11/16 × 12 13/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.1475
Art Historical Context
### The Silk Gown (La robe de soie) in 1887 by French artist Albert Besnard (184–1934), *The Silk Gown* is a captivating etching and drypoint on laid paper, measuring 36.8 × 23.7 cm on the plate. Besnard, renowned for his luminous paintings and decorative murals, excelled in printmaking during the Belle Époque, blending academic precision with a flair for texture and light. This work, housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection, exemplifies his ability to evoke elegance through intimate portraiture, likely featuring a figure draped in luxurious fabric that highlights the era...
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...