Le Couvre-Feu (The Curfew) [recto]

1874/1875

Félix-Hilaire Buhot

Associated Names
Félix-Hilaire Buhot

Artist, French, 1847 - 1898

The image shows a nocturnal scene with a low horizon, featuring dark silhouettes of buildings, including a church spire. The etching technique is evident in the fine lines that create texture and depth, especially in the sky and reflection on the ground. The color palette is primarily monochromatic, with shades of brown. Light illuminates a few figures and casts reflections on the ground. Trees with skeletal branches are visible to the right.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, drypoint, aquatint, and burnishing in black on light blue wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Ruth B. Benedict

  • Dimensions

    plate: 8.1 x 10 cm (3 3/16 x 3 15/16 in.)
    sheet: 11.3 x 14.4 cm (4 7/16 x 5 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1994.60.9.a

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Bourcard/Goodfriend 1979, no. 66, State iii/iii

Associated Artworks

The image is a pencil sketch of a seascape with a horizon slightly above the center. The waves meet the sky and blend into the sandy texture of the paper. There are faint lines and dots on the horizon. Delicate brushstrokes create a serene scene. The palette is monochromatic. In the foreground, there are simple outlines of a small group of people on the beach. The sky dominates the composition, highlighting the open landscape.

Figures on a Shore [verso]

Félix-Hilaire Buhot

1875

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Dr. Ruth B. Benedict (1913-1993), Washington; bequest to NGA, 1994.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1899

  • Bourcard, Gustave. Felix Buhot: catalogue descriptif de son oeuvre grave. Paris: H. Floury, 1899. Reprint. With additions and revisions by James Goodfriend. New York: Martin Goodfriend, 1979.

Inscriptions

lower left in plate: Tohub (Buhot backwards); lower left margin in plate: Le Couvre-Feu - (10 h. du soir; lower center margin in plate: FB (in monogram); lower right margin in plate: Félix Buhot Valognes; lower center below plate stamped in red: FB (Lugt 977); lower left in graphite: Cat 72 / le Couvre feu; lower right in graphite: Tiré à 12 epreuves

Wikidata ID

Q75122079

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