The Siren
n.d.
Medium
Etching and drypoint on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 25.5 × 12.3 cm (10 1/16 × 4 7/8 in.); Plate: 26.4 × 13.3 cm (10 7/16 × 5 1/4 in.); Sheet, folded: 44.9 × 32.3 cm (17 11/16 × 12 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
51505
Art Historical Context
Félicien Rops' *The Siren* captivates with its intimate scale and masterful printmaking, an etching and drypoint on laid paper measuring just 25.5 × 12.3 cm for the image. Created around the late 19th century (date not specified), this work from the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints Drawings collection evokes the mythical allure of a siren—a seductive sea creature luring sailors to their doom—perfectly suited to Rops' provocative style. A Belgian artist (1833–1898) who thrived in the bohemian circles of Brussels and Paris, Rops was a key figure in Symbolism and the Decadent movement. He blend...
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...