# La Chapelle Saint-Michel à l'Estre

**Félix-Hilaire Buhot** (French, 1847–1898)  
etching and drypoint on laid paper  
plate: 14 x 27.2 cm (5 1/2 x 10 11/16 in.) sheet: 31.5 x 46.2 cm (12 3/8 x 18 3/16 in.)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2006.68.30. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.135581.html).

## About this work

Félix-Hilaire Buhot made this. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

### What you’re looking at

The image shows an elevated view of a landscape with detailed line work in warm sepia tones. The horizon is located near the top, with a cluster of structures visible in the distance. Close to us, there is textured shrubbery, and the ground is marked with dots and lines. Rolling hills and flat areas lead towards the horizon, where the sky is depicted with horizontal lines and hatchings.

_Description from the National Gallery of Art._

### How it was made

- **Drypoint.** Lines scratched straight into the plate with a needle throw up a ridge of metal, the burr, which holds ink and prints a soft, furred line. The burr wears down, so early impressions are the richest.
- **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.

### [Félix-Hilaire Buhot](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/felix-hilaire-buhot)

French, 1847–1898

Buhot was a leading figure of the French etching revival of the 1870s and 1880s. He made atmospheric views of Paris, London and Normandy, often in rain, snow or fog, combining etching with drypoint, aquatint and other techniques to suggest weather and light. He is known for his “symphonic margins”, small sketches around the main image that comment on it, and he experimented with papers and inks for each impression.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Print
- Real size: about 5½ × 11 in (14 × 27 cm). The 8 × 10 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: figure, Landscape, Nature, Building
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1662.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1662/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/la-chapelle-saint-michel-a-l-estre-nga-135581).