Artwork
The Old Cock
The Old Cock is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Félix Bracquemond. It dates from 1882 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The composition captures the bird in a poised stance, one leg supporting its weight while the other is drawn up, conveying a sense of alert vigilance.
Created in 1882, *The Old Cock* is an etching executed on Japan paper by French artist Félix Henri Bracquemond. The print presents a solitary rooster rendered in monochrome, its plumage rendered with meticulous line work that emphasizes texture and form. The composition captures the bird in a poised stance, one leg supporting its weight while the other is drawn up, conveying a sense of alert vigilance.
Subject & Meaning
The image focuses on a single domestic rooster, depicted with careful attention to anatomical details such as the comb, wattles, and feather arrangement. By isolating the animal against an unadorned background, Bracquemond highlights the creature’s natural elegance and the subtle play of light across its feathers, inviting contemplation of everyday fauna as worthy of artistic study.
Technique & Style
Bracquemond employed a fine-line etching method, allowing for crisp, controlled strokes that delineate each feather and contour with precision. The use of Japan paper, known for its smooth surface and translucency, enhances the delicacy of the lines and supports the high level of detail characteristic of his animal studies. The monochrome palette underscores the graphic quality of the work.
History & Provenance
The print emerged during Bracquemond’s active period of promoting the etching revival in France, a movement that attracted peers such as Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas. While specific ownership records are limited, the work is documented in several 19th‑century print collections and has been referenced in catalogues of Bracquemond’s oeuvre.
Context
*The Old Cock* reflects Bracquemond’s engagement with Japonisme, a fascination with Japanese aesthetics that permeated French art in the late 1800s. His adoption of Japanese paper and emphasis on flat, decorative line work align with this trend. The piece also forms part of a broader series of animal studies that Bracquemond produced, underscoring his interest in rendering natural subjects with technical exactness.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Félix Henri Bracquemond (French pronunciation: ; 22 May 1833 – 29 October 1914) was a French painter, etcher, and printmaker.
