Weaver (La Tisserande)
1871
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 21.5 x 13.2 cm (8 7/16 x 5 3/16 in.) sheet: 43.2 x 28 cm (17 x 11 in.)
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ellwanger/Mescha Collection
Accession Number
2006.163.15
Art Historical Context
**Weaver (La Tande)**, created by French artist François Bonvin in1871, captures the quiet dignity of everyday labor through the intimate medium of etching on laid paper. Bonvin, a key figure in 19th-century Realism, inspiration from 17th-century Dutch and Flemish masters, portraying humble scenes of working-class life with meticulous detail. This print, measuring 21.5 x 13.2 cm on its plate, exemplifies his commitment to authenticity, likely depicting a female weaver at her loom amid a modest interior. Etching allowed Bonvin to achieve fine, expressive lines that convey texture and depth, fr...
About the Artist
François Bonvin
François Bonvin (1817–1887) was a French Realist painter whose quiet, meticulously observed canvases of domestic interiors and humble working-class subjects placed him among the most thoughtful and committed practitioners of the Realist movement in nineteenth-century France. Born in Vaugirard, on the outskirts of Paris, Bonvin came from modest origins and largely educated himself as an artist thro...