Charles-François Daubigny
La Machine hydraulique
1861
Scroll
Charles-François Daubigny
La Machine hydraulique
1861
Physical Qualities
Cliché-verre, Sheet: 226 x 359 mm. (8 7/8 x 14 1/8 in.)
Image: 211 x 345 mm. (8 5/16 x 13 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
The George A. Lucas Collection, purchased with funds from the State of Maryland, Laurence and Stella Bendann Fund, and contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations throughout the Baltimore community
Object Number
1996.48.18091
Charles-François Daubigny rendered the waterwheel at
the center of this print with just a few lines, emphasizing
its movement over precise details. Waterwheels are an
early example of a renewable resource, generating power
from flowing water. They were often used in this period to
operate flour mills.
Like the waterwheel, the cliché-verre (glass plate)
printmaking technique relies on a renewable natural
resource. To make these prints, Charles-François Daubigny
used a needle to draw the image onto a piece of painted
glass. Then, he placed the glass on top of a sheet of lightsensitive
photographic paper and exposed it to sunlight.
The places where the artist scratched away the coating
on the glass darkened to form the image. He reversed the
image by flipping over the pane of glass.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 1996; The Maryland Institute College of Art,
through Henry Walters, Baltimore, by bequest 1909; from George A. Lucas, Paris
through Henry Walters, Baltimore, by bequest 1909; from George A. Lucas, Paris
Deconstructing Nature: Environmental Transformation in the Lucas Collection
Henriet, Frédéric. "Les paysagistes contemporains: Daubigny." Gazette des Beaux-arts 2nd ser. 9 (1874): 255-270, 464-475.
Beraldi, Henri. Les graveurs du XIXe siècle, guide de l'amateur d'estampes modernes (Paris: Librairie L. Conquet, 1885-1892): vol. V, pp. 91-98.
Delteil, Loys. Le peintre-graveur illustré (Paris: Loys Delteil, 1906-1926): vol. XIII.
Comments: 31 vols. Reprint. New York: Collectors Editions Ltd., Da Capo Press, 1969. Vol. 30 (Albert Besnard) is by Louis Godefroy. The volume which covers 1830-1837 reprinted by Alan Wofsy, San Francisco, 2002.
Laran, Jean, et al. Inventaire du fonds français après 1800 (Paris: Bibliothèque nationale, 1930-ongoing): vol. 5, pp. 411-424 [MH-FA].
Fidell-Beaufort, Madeleine. The graphic art of Charles-François Daubigny (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microforms International, 1974) Thesis: New York University.
Melot, Michel, Robert Erich Wolf (trans.). Graphic art of the Pre-Impressionists (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1981). [NYPL].
Beraldi, Henri. Les graveurs du XIXe siècle, guide de l'amateur d'estampes modernes (Paris: Librairie L. Conquet, 1885-1892): vol. V, pp. 91-98.
Delteil, Loys. Le peintre-graveur illustré (Paris: Loys Delteil, 1906-1926): vol. XIII.
Comments: 31 vols. Reprint. New York: Collectors Editions Ltd., Da Capo Press, 1969. Vol. 30 (Albert Besnard) is by Louis Godefroy. The volume which covers 1830-1837 reprinted by Alan Wofsy, San Francisco, 2002.
Laran, Jean, et al. Inventaire du fonds français après 1800 (Paris: Bibliothèque nationale, 1930-ongoing): vol. 5, pp. 411-424 [MH-FA].
Fidell-Beaufort, Madeleine. The graphic art of Charles-François Daubigny (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microforms International, 1974) Thesis: New York University.
Melot, Michel, Robert Erich Wolf (trans.). Graphic art of the Pre-Impressionists (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1981). [NYPL].
Inscribed: Signed in plate: lower right, in reverse "Daubigny"
Markings: None
