Shepherdess - Charles Émile Jacque

The Charles Deering Collection

"Shepherdess" by Charles Émile Jacque (1864–66) Etching and roulette on cream laid paper.

Commentary

"Shepherdess" by Charles Émile Jacque (1864–66) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Theme s to notice include etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Charles Émile Jacque is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Charles Émile Jacque French, 1813-1894. The work is cataloged within a France cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Etching and roulette on cream laid paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 11 × 16.5 cm (4 3/8 × 6 1/2 in.); Plate: 13.6 × 19.7 cm (5 3/8 × 7 13/16 in.); Sheet: 32.5 × 45.3 cm (12 13/16 × 17 7/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/45809

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data