Jean Frélaut (1879–1954) – The Penmern Mill, 1944

Original etching by Jean Frélaut (1879–1954), depicting a windmill in a Breton landscape, identified as the Penmern windmill in Morbihan.

Created in 1944, this print bears the artist’s handwritten signature in pencil in the lower right margin, as well as the number 11/30.

The lower margin also features the handwritten inscription “Le vieux moulin .”

The work is printed on laid paper, whose texture and antique tone are clearly visible. It exhibits the characteristics of a small original print by the artist, printed in an edition of thirty copies.

Details:

• Date: 1944

• Technique: Etching

• Edition: 11/30

• Signature: In pencil

• Medium: Layered paper

• Dimensions: 17.2 × 12.2 cm

Work sold unframed. Shipped flat.

Photographs are representative.

"Jean Frélaut (1879–1954) was a French painter, printmaker, and illustrator, born in Grenoble and who settled very early on in Brittany, a region that would play a central role in his work.

Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in Fernand Cormon’s studio, he was introduced to etching in 1903 by Marcel Beltrand, then further developed his technique under the guidance of the American engraver Donald Shaw Mac Laughlan. He printed most of his prints himself.

His body of engravings, comprising approximately 1,500 plates, is primarily devoted to the landscapes and rural life of Morbihan: villages, farms, mills, ports, and scenes of Breton life.

Winner of the French Engraving Prize at the Venice Biennale in 1934, he was also appointed curator of the Vannes Museum in 1937. He remains a major figure in French printmaking of the first half of the 20th century."