Featured Etching Reclining Nude by Henri Berengier

Henri Berengier (1880-1943). Sheet size: 19 9/16” by 25 ¾”







I wonder if this may be Victorine-Louise Muerent (1844-1927), She was the model for Manet's famous painting “Olympia”, and for a lot of other painters as well. Bérengier knew some of the Impressionists personally, and did engravings of some of their work. It’s not at all unlikely that he was at least aware of Meurent and wanted his own take on this famous model. I think there are echoes of Olympia in the image. But that’s all conjecture. He was 20 in 1900, when she was 56. The print has no date, but certainly could be from around that time.

Imagination, or in with a chance?

Manet's Olympia:

 

Different nose I think, look at her selfportrait at the top of the page and the photos of her further down:

https://whatshernamepodcast.com/victorine-meurent/

 

And at 56 her boobs would not be at that angle! (LOL)

 

Oh well...

 

Nice etching/engraving-is it pencil signed & is that a small sketch in the lower left hand corner ?

 

No reason the etching could not be Berengier's reinterpretation of Manet's Olympia, based on the painting rather than a live sitting by the elderly courtesan. There are certainly similarities in the pose and other details.

 

Signed in ink, I believe. The lines of the siggy do not show the dimensional quality of the etched lines above. The remarque may actually be an ink sketch. I'm not seeing dimension in those lines either.

 

If an orig remarque great,yep-true etched plate lines have that bite & sometimes almost a very very light furriness.