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Sheet of Sketches
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
François-Nicolas Chifflart was an important member of the etching revival in 19th-century France. This print, from his 1865 series Improvisations on Copper , reveals the freedom and experimentation that Chifflart found in this medium. He drew directly on prepared copper plates, sketching as he would on a sheet of paper, to create both anecdotal studies and imaginative finished compositions. Executed on an intimate scale, the prints encouraged close looking and private contemplation.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineImprovisations sur cuivre: Sheet of Sketches, 1865. Nicolas-François Chifflart (French, 1825–1901), printed by Auguste Delâtre, published by CADART & LUQUET. Etching; image: 22.2 x 30.3 cm (8 3/4 x 11 15/16 in.); plate: 24.4 x 32.1 cm (9 5/8 x 12 5/8 in.); sheet: 37.4 x 57.4 cm (14 3/4 x 22 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Carole W. and Charles B. Rosenblatt Endowment Fund, 2023.18.13
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