Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) Etching, Le Chapeau Epinglé (The daughter of Berthe Morisot and her cousin)

Original dry point in black and white from a second print of the 3rd plate (1894) on wove paper. Signed in the plate «Renoir» in the lower left. This engraving is listed in Volume 17 under Number 8 of Auguste Renoir's engraved work by Loÿs Delteil. This work is in very good condition with a strong, visible plate mark.

Auguste Renoir is not only this great painter, master of impressionism. He is also an excellent engraver who knows how to express perfectly by his extreme delicacy the elegance of the portrait of these two young girls, the daughter of Berthe Morisot, Julie Manet and her cousin. The two figures are delicately composed by hatched lines throughout the work. Sitting in elegant dresses and wearing large hats with ribbons, only Julie Manet's face, looking away in contemplation while having her hat adjusted, is visible while that of her cousin is masked. The figure on the left seems to sit in space thanks to the use of lighter lines, her back turned towards us. The right figure appears as if she was closer, with more work in her hair and hat. Beautifully executed, this work is a strong example of impressionist reflection on light and beauty. Created around 1894 by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, this work is based on the third plate, or Third version of the plate (the two previous ones represent the girls facing in the opposite direction with much less detail). Signed by hand in the plate by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in the lower left corner, this print is made after the second state of two. From its creation, this engraving was highlighted as in the 1894 edition of Gustave Geffroy's «La Vie Artistique» and also in Georges Rivière's 1921 book, «Renoir et ses Amis».