Albert Besnard’s etching, “Femme Blonde à sa Toilette”, 1909

Albert Besnard (aka Paul Albert Besnard) (1849–1934)

“Femme Blonde à sa Toilette” (aka “Femme Nue”), 1909, printed in an edition of 75 copies in 1909 and later published in the “Gazette des Beaux-Arts” in December 1911, pp. 442–443, under the title “Femme Nue”, to illustrate an article by Paul Adam: “Le Symbolisme dans l’Oeuvre d’Albert Besnard” (pp. 437–454) (see https://archive.org/details/leseauxfortesdeb00copp/page/100/mode/2up).

Note that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has an error in the description of this print: “published in the July 1887 edition of the “Gazette des Beaux-Arts” to complement d'Alfred de Lostalot’s discussion, “Exposition Internationale de Peinture et de la Sculpture” (International Exposition of Painting and Sculpture) (see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/693697). This information relates to Albert Besnard’s etching, “Tristesse” (pp. 524–525); see my earlier post of this print (which is currently still available): https://www.printsandprinciples.com/2019/10/albert-besnards-etching-tristesse-1887.html.

Etching with drypoint and plate tone on cream laid paper and wide margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 27 x 18 cm; (plate) 13.9 x 10.9 cm.

State i (of i) Lifetime impression.

Delteil 166 (Loys Delteil 1906, “Louis Godefroy Albert Besnard”, vol. 30 of “Le Peintre-Graveur”, Paris, np, cat. no. 161); Coppier 155 (André-Charles Coppier 1920, “Les Eaux-Fortes de Besnard”, Paris, Berger-Levrault, p. 64 [illus.], p.100, cat. no. 155); IFF 68 (Inventaire du Fonds Français: Bibliothèque Nationale, Départment des Estampes. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, cat. no. 68).

André-Charles Coppier (1920) offers the following description and insights about this print: (transl.) “The bare torso of a mature blonde's body. The light vibrates on her soft flesh and the mass of her raised hair; her left forearm remained unfinished. She leans on her right arm, whose hand rests on the bevel of the metal./ Technique, in crisscross, of the master's pastels” (p. 100).

Condition: a strong, well-printed and near faultless impression with wide margins in pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, stains, abrasions or foxing.

I am selling this confidently executed and very beautiful nude, for the total cost of AU$338 (currently US$225.92/EUR204.41/GBP179.94 at the time of posting this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this marvellous etching (with drypoint)—note how skilfully the artist has suggested the softness of skin by the contrast of the fine contour marks giving form to the figure with the bold strong strokes of the background and the captured the effect of soft day-light falling on the nude—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.