Félicien Rops - The Big And The Little Sidewalk - Red Chalk Etching, Signed In Pencil

The Big and the Little Sidewalk – Frontispiece for Auguste Delvau’s book
Red chalk etching, signed in pencil

Dimensions of the print: 18.5 × 13 cm
Dimensions with frame: 34 × 38 cm

A leading figure in 19th-century Belgian art, Félicien Rops was one of the most brilliant and daring engravers of his time. A friend of Baudelaire and closely connected to literary and Symbolist circles, he elevated the art of etching to a level of virtuosity rarely matched, blending satire, eroticism, fantasy, and keen social observation.

This print corresponds to the famous frontispiece created for Le Grand et le Petit Trottoir, a work by Auguste Delvau devoted to Parisian prostitution. Here, Rops imagines a veritable theatrical scene in which a swarm of little cupids invades the composition in jubilant turmoil. The central sign reading “A. Delvau – Le Grand et le Petit Trottoir” dominates this exuberant scene, while the inscriptions “À la Colombe de Vénus ” and the allegorical figures crowning the composition reinforce the image’s satirical and libertine character.

All of Rops’s virtuosity is on full display here: a drawing of extraordinary freedom, a constant sense of movement among the figures, a profusion of details that invite ever-renewed interpretation, as well as a remarkable balance between humor, social criticism, and graphic elegance.

This print, executed in sanguine, possesses a special charm thanks to its soft tones, which highlight the artist’s delicate linework.

The print is signed in pencil by Félicien Rops in the lower margin. It is presented with an elegant mat and in a simple frame that perfectly highlights the delicacy of the work.

Original prints by Félicien Rops, particularly signed proofs, are now highly sought after by collectors of prints, fin-de-siècle literature, and Symbolism. They are featured in the collections of the world’s leading museums, including the Félicien Rops Museum in Namur, the Musée d’Orsay, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the British Museum, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

In good condition. There are a few small foxing spots due to the age of the paper, mainly in the margins. These subtle signs of age do not affect the legibility or the charm of this rare original print, signed in pencil by Félicien Rops.