Pennequin’s etching after Henner

Edmond-Jules Pennequin after a painting by Jean Jacques Henner (1829–1905)

“Portrait of a Young Girl”, late 19^th century

Etching and engraving on chine-collé washi paper on heavy wove paper, signed by the artist with a hand-written dedication to his cousin.

Size: (sheet) 51.3 x 36.9 cm; (plate) 31.7 x 24.9 cm; (image) 26.7 x 21.3 cm

Inscribed in the plate below the image borderline: (left) "Peint par Henner"; (right) Grave par Pennequin"

Condition: richly inked impression in marvellous condition, hand-signed by the artist in pencil.

I am selling this beautifully executed etching for a total cost of AU$156 (currently US$118.48/EUR105.75/GBP88.75 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this hauntingly strong etching, hand-signed by the artist, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

There is so much theatre in this print in terms of a brooding seductress staring at the viewer with fully dilated pupils, dramatic lighting and latent energy in the line-work.

Surprisingly, the artist of this strong etching, Edmond-Jules Pennequin, is an almost forgotten nineteenth-century printmaker. I am astounded that an artist of his calibre of skill could fail to be documented in standard compendiums of printmakers (e.g. Arthur M Hind's “A History of Engraving & Etching”) or in major print collections (e.g. The British Museum). If there is anyone familiar with this artist and could share some biographical details (e.g. dates of his birth and death) I would be thankful.

What I love about this print is the overtones of the Pre-Raphaelites captured in treatment of the young woman with her haunting eyes and the rich texture of her simple dress. Regarding the treatment of the fabric, the line-work in this area shows an amazing high level of technical skill and discipline in representing the complexity of the woven material and its contouring to the curves of the woman’s body.