Artwork
Le chat et le rat (The Cat and the Rat)
Le chat et le rat (The Cat and the Rat) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Quentin-Pierre Chedel. It dates from 1756 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Quentin‑Pierre Chedel’s hand‑coloured etching Le chat et le rat, dated 1756, presents a modestly sized print that juxtaposes a feline and a rodent within a wooded tableau. The composition is rendered in muted earth tones, chiefly browns and greens, creating a calm atmosphere that invites quiet observation of the scene’s gentle interaction.
Subject & Meaning
In the work, a cat reclines in a hammock suspended among the trees while a rat perches on a nearby trunk, both sharing the same arboreal space. A small bird flies above, adding a further element of liveliness. The arrangement suggests a playful coexistence rather than predatory tension, hinting at a whimsical commentary on natural hierarchy.
Technique & Style
Chedel employed traditional copper‑plate etching, subsequently applying hand‑applied pigments to enhance the tonal range. The line work defines the foliage and animal forms with fine, delicate strokes, while the colour washes deepen the foliage’s green and the bark’s brown, giving the print a subtle three‑dimensional quality uncommon in purely monochrome prints of the period.
History & Provenance
Created in the mid‑eighteenth century, the piece reflects the era’s interest in genre scenes that blend humor with observation of everyday life. While specific ownership records are scarce, the print is catalogued among Chedel’s known works and appears in several nineteenth‑century collections of French prints, confirming its circulation among connoisseurs of the period.
Artist & collection
Veue de quelques Grottes solitaires de la Thebaide
Le corbeau, la gazelle, la tortue et le rat (The Crow, the Gazelle, the Tortoise, and
Les vautours et les pigeons (Vultures and Pigeons)
Veue des ruines d'une Tour qu'on dit avoir ete batie par les Romains
Abreuvoir d'oiseaux (The Birds' Watering Place)
Les poissons et le cormoran (The Fish and theCormorant)
