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Le Corbeau, from "L'Artiste"

Printer Auguste Delâtre French
February 6, 1859
Not on view
This ominous image of ravens and gallows was published in the periodical "L’Artiste" on February 6, 1859. The first state of this print, without the text, had appeared in 1854, when Bracquemond began producing prints of birds filled with enigmatic symbolism, and often, social critique. In this etching, the raven, confrontationally engaging the viewer, symbolizes the black-robed lawyer. The shadow cast by the bird on the side of the gallows appears to be spewing Bracquemond’s poem, which in English reads: "Death’s cry, black plumage / I am the ravenous raven / Do you want to see what I’m like? / Ask a cop, or a crook." Bracquemond further amplified this menacing tone visually, through the stark contrasts between the heavy blacks and the minimal patches of white reserve, and through the dangling noose and cluster of squabbling birds.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Le Corbeau, from "L'Artiste"
  • Series/Portfolio: L'Artiste
  • Artist: Félix Bracquemond (French, Paris 1833–1914 Sèvres)
  • Printer: Auguste Delâtre (French, Paris 1822–1907 Paris)
  • Date: February 6, 1859
  • Medium: Etching on chine collé; fifth state of six
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 12 5/16 × 9 5/16 in. (31.2 × 23.7 cm)
    Plate: 9 1/16 × 7 1/4 in. (23 × 18.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
  • Object Number: 59.500.457
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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