The Eagle

Currently not on view

The Eagle

1936 (published 1942)

Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) Written by George-Louis Leclerc Comte de Buffon (French, 1707–1788) Plate printed by Roger Lacourière (French, 1892–1966) Published by Martin Fabiani, Paris

This print is one of the thirty-one illustrations Pablo Picasso created in 1936 for a deluxe edition of excerpts from Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière (Natural History, General and Particular), written by the pioneering French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, in the eighteenth century. The array of animals represented in the book follows the tradition of medieval bestiaries—compilations of physical and allegorical descriptions of real and imaginary beasts. Picasso’s spontaneously executed, spirited characterizations of the animals in the prints he produced for Eaux-fortes originales pour des textes de Buffon (Original Etchings for Buffon’s Texts) have made the publication one of the most prized bestiaries and widely admired artist-illustrated books of the twentieth century.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Titles:

The Eagle
L'Aigle, From the book Eaux-fortes originales pour des textes de Buffon (Histoire Naturelle), Paris, 1942

Date:

1936 (published 1942)

Artists:

Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) Written by George-Louis Leclerc Comte de Buffon (French, 1707–1788) Plate printed by Roger Lacourière (French, 1892–1966) Published by Martin Fabiani, Paris

Medium:

Lift-ground aquatint and drypoint with scraping

Dimensions:

Image (approximately): 10 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (26.6 x 21 cm) Sheet: 14 7/16 x 11 inches (36.7 x 27.9 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

Purchased with the Staunton B. Peck Fund, 1965

Accession Number:

1965-45-1(13)

Geography:

Made in Paris, France, Europe

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Currently not on view