The Legend and Adventures of Ulenspiefel and Lamme Goedzak: The Hanged Man (La legende et les aventures d'Ulenspiegel et Lamme Goedzak: Le pendu)

Executed in intaglio, the work showcases Rops’ mastery of etching, with fine lines delineating musculature and tension in the body. Dark tonal contrasts dominate, while abstract, jagged forms fill the surrounding space, contributing to an overall feeling of disorder. The bold handling of line and shadow reflects the artist’s association with Symbolist and Decadent aesthetics.

Rops produced the print during his early involvement with the avant‑garde circle Les XX, a group that championed progressive art in Brussels. The work circulated among contemporary writers and publishers, enhancing Rops’ reputation as a favored illustrator for literary projects that explored the macabre and the satirical.

The 1860s marked a period of artistic experimentation in Paris and Brussels, where Symbolist and fin‑de‑siècle currents challenged conventional representation. Rops’ engagement with the Ulenspiegel legend aligns with a broader interest in national folklore, while his graphic style anticipates later developments in erotic and grotesque imagery.

Although less widely known than some of his later illustrations, this print exemplifies Rops’ early synthesis of narrative content and expressive technique. It contributed to his standing among contemporaries and foreshadowed the darker, more provocative works that would define his later career.