The Sparrow of Lesbie (Le moineau de Lesbie)
1826 to 1850
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1951.10.398
Art Historical Context
Félicien Rops, a Belgian renowned for his provocative etchings blending eroticism, symbolism, and the macabre, created *The Sparrow of LesbieLe moineau de Lesbie)* around 1826–1850. This intimate print, housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald CollectionDepartment CG-E), draws its title from the ancient Roman poet Catullus's famous verses about Lesbia's cherished sparrow—a symbol of fleeting love, innocence, and loss. Rops, active in the mid-19th century Parisian avant-garde, often infused classical motifs with his signature decadent flair, reflecting the era's fascination with sensua...
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...