La Hibou
Date1883
Artist
Félix Hilaire Buhot
(French painter, printmaker, and draftsman, 1847–1898)
MediumEtching and aquatint
Dimensionsplate: 17 5/8 × 12 13/16 in. (44.8 × 32.5 cm)
sheet: 19 5/8 × 14 5/8 in. (49.8 × 37.1 cm)
sheet: 19 5/8 × 14 5/8 in. (49.8 × 37.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Dr. Charles Lee Reese, 1940
Object number1940-11.89
On View
Not on viewClassificationsPRINT
Label TextBuhot’s frontispiece for a portfolio of his work entitled Pauca Paucis (A Few for the Few) is a commentary on the artist’s life and work. The owl—Buhot’s monogram—casts a shadow that is Buhot’s profile. The old woman stirs a pot of acid (eau-forte), essential for etching. The ship and nautical lanterns refer to his Norman roots. The troubadour evokes his fondness for Romantic poetry. Overall, the nocturnal and mysterious mood reflects the artist’s attraction to occult themes.
