Who painted Le Secret du Maîtres Cornille?

Le Secret du Maîtres Cornille was painted by Félix-Hilaire Buhot in 1879.

Where can I see Le Secret du Maîtres Cornille?

Le Secret du Maîtres Cornille is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Le Secret du Maîtres Cornille?

Le Secret du Maîtres Cornille is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Le Secret du Maîtres Cornille

Félix-Hilaire Buhot , 1879

Le Secret du Maîtres Cornille is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Félix-Hilaire Buhot. It dates from 1879 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1879, *Le Secret du Maîtres Cornille* is a print by French artist Félix‑Hilaire Buhot. Executed as an etching combined with roulette work on laid paper, the image is densely composed, presenting a bustling tableau that folds numerous vignettes into a single sheet. The title, suggesting a concealed narrative, invites viewers to search for an underlying story within the visual chaos.

Subject & Meaning

The crowded arrangement hints at a moment of disorder, perhaps alluding to a hidden episode or secret hinted at by the work’s title.

The central focus of the composition is a darkened structure topped by a windmill, around which a throng of figures converges. Combatants clash, animals bolt, and a man lies on the ground clutching a dog. Peripheral sketches add further activity: mounted riders, a woman bearing a basket, and a distant ship at sea. The crowded arrangement hints at a moment of disorder, perhaps alluding to a hidden episode or secret hinted at by the work’s title.

Technique & Style

Buhot employed the traditional etching process, incising lines into a copper plate with a needle before exposing it to acid, then added roulette stippling to achieve tonal variation. The resulting marks are swift and sketch‑like, resembling a series of preparatory studies rather than a polished finish. This loose, almost diaristic line work creates a sense of immediacy, capturing the frenzy of the scene in a single, unrefined gesture.

History & Provenance

The print emerged during the late nineteenth‑century revival of printmaking in France, a period when artists like Buhot explored the expressive possibilities of etching. While specific ownership records are scarce, *Le Secret du Maîtres Cornille* has been documented in several catalogues of Buhot’s oeuvre and appears in collections that focus on 19th‑century French graphic art, reflecting its continued relevance to scholars of the medium.