Adolphe Appian – Fishermen's Huts On The Coasts Of Italy – Hand-signed Etching

Etching by Adolphe Appian, titled, signed in the plate and countersigned by hand in the sheet.

The scene depicts a small port, where a few modest fishermen's houses and their boats face each other. On one of them, a man seems to be storing equipment. In the distance, mountains rise. The atmosphere is peaceful.

The work is signed in the plate at the top left. It is countersigned at the bottom left, in pencil. It is placed under a mat and under glass, in a beautiful modern frame with a wide gilt rod. The whole is in excellent condition.

A label placed on the back provides interesting information. We learn that this engraving was published in L'Illustration nouvelle in 1876 (you can find it here), and that the framed proof is the 3rd of 5. It is therefore a very small edition.
There are also two bibliographical references, one of which tells us that this work was known to Paul Prouté, a famous Parisian print dealer.

The artist
Adolphe APPIAN, pseudonym of Jacques Barthélémy APPIAN, was born in Lyon, where he died in 1898.

He trained as a painter at the École des Beaux-Arts in the same city. He was for a time a designer of patterns for silks, before turning to a more artistic practice. He debuted at the 1835 Salon in Paris and exhibited at the 1847 Salon in Lyon, then regularly in the Salons of these two cities from 1855. He won a gold medal at the Paris Salon in 1868.

In 1852, the meeting of Camille Corot and Jean-François Daubigny had a decisive impact on his career: it was there that he decided to devote himself exclusively to painting and engraving, and that he adopted the style of the Barbizon school. He made several stays in Fontainebleau, but also in Bugey, on the Mediterranean coast, etc.

He enjoyed success during his lifetime. Napoleon III even bought a painting from him in 1867. At the same time, he lightened his palette, which until then had been composed of cold and warm tones.

Adolphe Appian was also a remarkable engraver. He practiced etching with virtuosity, as evidenced by the engravings we offer. Well before the Impressionists, he produced numerous monotypes.

He was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1892.

Many French museums hold his works (museums of Lyon, Chambéry, Bourg-en-Bresse, Cannes, Montpellier, Cherbourg, Nice, etc.). Appian is also very appreciated in the United States. His works are found in particular in San Francisco and Cleveland.

Appian's works have been the subject of numerous public sales and always meet with great success there.

Work visible at the gallery (07240).
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