The Wine
Medium
Lithograph; first state
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 5/16 × 14 1/4 in. (28.8 × 36.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
22.56.24
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in 1840, *The Wine* is a lithograph by the French artist François-Joseph-Aimé Lemud, published by the noted Parisian firm Rittner & Goupil. Lithography, still a relatively new medium at the time, allowed artists to draw directly on stone and produce rich, tonal effects that closely resembled drawings. This first-state impression captures the technique’s expressive potential, with fluid lines and subtle shading that bring the scene to life. The image depicts men gathered around wine, a subject that reflects the convivial social customs of 19th-century France. During the Romantic era, such everyday moments often carried deeper emotional or literary resonance, and prints like this one helped bring art into middle-class homes. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum through the Rogers Fund in 1922, the work illustrates how lithography bridged fine art and popular culture, making evocative scenes widely accessible.
About the Artist
François-Joseph-Aimé de Lemud|Rittner & Goupil (French|French) · 1816 | –1887 |
French, 1816–1887|Paris