La convalescente, cancelled proof
James Jacques Joseph Tissot
Description
Subject Matter:
This is the first print that Tissot published and, unlike many of his other prints, no related painting is known. He would go on to exhibit the print somewhat regularly over the course of his career. The subject is loosely generic, as indicated by the title; this is not meant to be a specific woman (that is, a portrait), but rather, a woman who we might think of as a character in a narrative in which a well-off young woman recovers from illness.
This is an example of an impression pulled after the original edition of 100 proofs was complete; artists would then "cancel" the plate by etching deep slashes into it. This protected the value of the 100 "official" proofs, though in actuality editions were often smaller or larger.
Physical Description:
A woman wearing a black hat reclines in a sketchily-rendered chair. Shown in a three-quarter view and angled towards the viewer's left, she sits quietly, looking straight ahead. She wears a fur-trimmed coat, and flexes her right hand, which is curled into a loose fist, upwards. The background is left blank. The entire image is covered with a series of heavy diagonal slashes.
Signed in the lower left of the composition, in the plate, "JTJ [the second J rendered backwards] / J.J. tissot"
Usage Rights:
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