BRACQUEMOND FELIX (PARIS 1833 - 1914 SEVRES)

Felix Bracquemond: Famous both for his etchings after his designs and the designs of his contemporaries, Felix Bracquemond was a major artist of the nineteenth century etching revival in France. Apprenticed to a lithographer at the age of fifteen, he was largely self-taught in the art of etching and produced his first prints in this medium at the age of nineteen. As a young man he befriended such artist-etchers as Manet and Legros as well as such authors as Gautier and the Goncourts. In 1863, at the age of thirty, Felix Bracquemond was awarded the French Legion of Honour for his contribution to the art of etching.

He was one of the most ardent defenders of the engraving and soul of "la société des aquafortistes' (1862-1867). When he acquired his own press in 1856 he devoted him with passion to the search and trail of processes, generously sharing his experiance with the artists ( Corot, Millet, Rousseau, Manet, Degas, Fantin-Latour...) He played in this way an important role in the centre of the Impressionist movement.

A master of every genre, Felix Bracquemond's influence was enormous, particularly in France and Britain. During his life, Felix Bracquemond achieved distinction not only for his own etchings but also for his etched interpretations after the art of Delacroix, Millet, Ingres, Rousseau, Moreau, Meissonier and others.