Le prévenu et l'enfant (The Prisoner and the Child)

1909

Jean-Louis Forain

Associated Names
Jean-Louis Forain

Artist, French, 1852 - 1931

This is a drawing of an indoor scene featuring a group of individuals engaged in various activities. The drawing is composed with deliberate yet sketchy line work outlining the figures and their interaction. In the foreground, there is an individual holding material on their lap, which appears to be a sheet or book. Behind them, another figure holds a small child in their arms, wrapped in a cloth or shawl. To the left, a figure in a hat appears to be watching over the scene. Several additional figures are sketched in the background, creating a sense of a larger room or public space. The lines and form give an impression of movement and interaction among the figures. The drawing emphasizes the interaction among the figures.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid Van Gelder paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 39.6 × 30 cm (15 9/16 × 11 13/16 in.)
    sheet: 50 × 36.7 cm (19 11/16 × 14 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3762

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Faxon 1982, no. 63, State ii/iv

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lucien Henraux [1877-1926], Paris; Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1945

  • French Prints of the 19th Century from the Rosenwald Collection of the National Gallery of Art, Biblioteca Benjamin Franklin, Mexico City, 1945, no. 35, repro.

Bibliography

1982

  • Faxon, Alicia Craig. Jean-Louis Forain: A Catalogue Raisonne of the Prints. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1982.

Inscriptions

"forain" lower right margin, graphite, artist's hand. Not dated. "2e etat" lower left margin, graphite, artist's hand. "G52II" lower left margin, graphite, unknown hand. "MK 29030" verso, lower right sheet, graphite, unknown hand.

Markings

"LRJ" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1760b). "National Gallery of Art" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1932d).

Watermarks

[crowned Strasburg lily] "VGL / VAN GELDER ZO[NEN"

Wikidata ID

Q64959302

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