La Nuée d’orage (1882–84)

Félix Bracquemond prints show the work of one of the leaders of the etching revival in 1800s Paris. Bracquemond loved birds and animals, from a proud old rooster to ducks at play, and he was among the first in France to study Hokusai's Manga, turning its creatures into designs for a famous dinner service. Our collection of fine art prints includes his etchings, portraits and ceramic designs.

About Félix Bracquemond

Félix Bracquemond was born on 22 May 1833. He made his name at nineteen with the etching Le haut d'un battant de porte (1852), showing birds and a bat nailed to a barn door, and birds and animals stayed his favourite subjects for life.

He was among the first artists in France to study Hokusai's Manga. His Service Rousseau dinner service, designed in 1866 and shown at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, copied Japanese-style animals, fish and flowers onto French faience. He also worked as a designer for porcelain.

Bracquemond took part in the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 and showed again in 1879 and 1880. His wife, Marie Bracquemond, was an Impressionist painter. He died on 29 October 1914.

Style and Subjects

Bracquemond was a master of the etching needle. His prints are crisp and finely worked, with careful tone and texture: feathers, fur, storm clouds and water all rendered with great control. He brought a touch of humour to his animals, as in Margot la critique, a magpie playing the art critic.

His ceramic designs are lighter and freer. Roosters, ducks, fish, lobsters, butterflies and flowers are scattered across the plate in the Japanese manner, with lots of open space, a style that helped spread the fashion for Japanese art in France.

Famous Works

• The Top of the Swing-Door (Le haut d'un battant de porte) (1852). Birds and a bat nailed to a barn door, the print that made his name.
• Margot la critique (1854). A magpie playing the art critic, his sharpest joke.
• The Old Cock. A proud, ragged old rooster, his best-loved animal portrait.
• Service Rousseau: Rooster and Morning Glories (no. 25) (1866). Hokusai's animals reborn as a design for French faience.
• Portrait of Edmond de Goncourt (1882). The writer and collector of Japanese art in a finely worked etching.
• La Nuée d'orage (1882–1884). A storm cloud sweeping over the land.
• Portrait of Charles Baudelaire (1869). The poet in a sharp, close-up etching.

Decorating with Bracquemond Prints

Bracquemond's bird and animal etchings suit a study, library or country kitchen, and they look sharp in thin black frames with wide white mounts. The Old Cock and the ducks are natural choices for a farmhouse-style home.

The Service Rousseau designs, with their roosters, fish and flowers, are made for a kitchen or dining room, where they echo the plates they were drawn for. Hang several in a grid for a fresh, Japanese-inspired look. The portraits of Baudelaire and Goncourt suit a reading room.

FAQ

Who was Félix Bracquemond?

Félix Bracquemond (1833–1914) was a French etcher, painter and ceramic designer, and a leader of the etching revival in Paris.

Was Bracquemond an Impressionist?

He took part in the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 and showed again in 1879 and 1880. His wife, Marie Bracquemond, was an Impressionist painter.

What is the Service Rousseau?

A dinner service Bracquemond designed in 1866 and showed at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, with animals, fish and flowers copied from Hokusai's Manga onto French faience.

Where can I see Bracquemond's work?

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Musée national Adrien Dubouché in Limoges hold pieces of the Service Rousseau. The Cleveland Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art hold his prints.

What is his most famous print?

Le haut d'un battant de porte (The Top of the Swing-Door), his 1852 etching of birds and a bat nailed to a barn door.

Related Artists

• Marie Bracquemond: his wife, an Impressionist painter
• Katsushika Hokusai: the Japanese master whose Manga inspired the Service Rousseau
• Henri Fantin-Latour: friend who painted him in Homage to Delacroix
• Édouard Manet: fellow member of the Paris circle of etchers and painters
• Charles Meryon: French etcher of his generation, whom he portrayed