A Fisherman and Two Children in a Landscape with Thatched Cottages1764
Salomon Gessner made this in 1764, aged 34. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. More about this work
About this work
The image shows a rustic scene with a house, trees, and a figure washing near a stream. Two children stand in the middle distance next to a ladder. In the background are two thatched houses among trees. The drawing style is detailed with fine lines and cross-hatching, creating texture. The color palette is monochromatic in shades of black and gray, emphasizing light and shadow.
Description from the National Gallery of Art.
Salomon Gessner made this in 1764, aged 34. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
How it was made
- Etching
- The artist draws with a needle through a waxy coating on a copper plate, and acid bites the exposed lines. The plate is then inked, wiped and printed under pressure, so the line keeps the freedom of drawing.
- Laid paper
- Handmade on a mould of close-set wires, which leave fine parallel lines you can see when the sheet is held to the light.
Salomon Gessner
Swiss, 1730–1788
Gessner was a Zurich poet, painter and etcher whose prose Idylls, gentle pastoral scenes of shepherds and nymphs, were translated across Europe and made him one of the most widely read writers of his day. Largely self-taught as an artist, he illustrated his own books with delicate etchings and later painted landscapes in gouache. He also ran a publishing firm and served on Zurich’s city council.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The National Gallery of Art has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1996.12.2
- Credit
- Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Type
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
