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The image shows an etching of a forest scene with towering trees dominating the upper half. The horizon is not clearly visible due to dense foliage, but a line of trees and rocky outcrops in the distance provide a boundary. The fine lines and cross-hatching technique create detailed textures in the tree bark and foliage. The color palette is monochromatic, in shades of black and white emphasizing light and shadow. A large tree with a partially hollow trunk and figures scattered throughout the scene give a sense of scale and activity within the forest setting.

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Salomon Gessner

Swiss, 1730–1788

Wooded Landscape with a Nymph and a Satyr1764

etching on laid paper tinted pale blue

plate: 20.8 x 19 cm (8 3/16 x 7 1/2 in.) sheet: 29.5 x 26 cm (11 5/8 x 10 1/4 in.)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington · 1996.12.8

Salomon Gessner made this in 1764, aged 34. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. More about this work

See it in the galleries

Format

Archival pigment inks on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, a 308 gsm cotton paper, with a white border.

Size
Size
16 × 20 in · image 13¾ × 15
Paper
Hahnemühle Photo Rag, 308 gsm
Price
$56

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About this work

The image shows an etching of a forest scene with towering trees dominating the upper half. The horizon is not clearly visible due to dense foliage, but a line of trees and rocky outcrops in the distance provide a boundary. The fine lines and cross-hatching technique create detailed textures in the tree bark and foliage. The color palette is monochromatic, in shades of black and white emphasizing light and shadow. A large tree with a partially hollow trunk and figures scattered throughout the scene give a sense of scale and activity within the forest setting.

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.

See all 3 works by Salomon Gessner

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
1996.12.8
Credit
Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
Type
Print
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