Eugène Delacroix
French. Charenton-Saint-Maurice, France 1798–1863 Paris

Un Forgeron/A Blacksmith, 1833
Aquatint, drypoint, between third and fourth states of six, 1833.
Lettered in plate, upper right, ED
Delteil 19.iii-iv (state with initials 'E.D.' but without other letters); Delteil/Strauber 19.iii-iv (state with initials 'E.D.' but without other letters) Dimensions: 6 5/16 x 3 7/8 inches, 160 x 98 mm, on full sheet
The brilliant use of aquatint is demonstrated by showing dramatic gradations of tone, from the black beard to the white hot piece of iron, achieved by leaving a section of the plate un-inked.
Provenance. Henri M. Petiet, with his monogram stamp on verso (not in Lugt). Note: This print is based on a lost painting from c 1825