Artwork
L'Or du Rhin -- Les Filles du Rhin
L'Or du Rhin -- Les Filles du Rhin is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Henri Fantin-Latour. It dates from 1886 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Henri Fantin‑Latour’s 1886 lithograph *L’Or du Rhin – Les Filles du Rhin* presents three elongated figures standing in a riverine setting.
About this work
Overview
Henri Fantin‑Latour’s 1886 lithograph *L’Or du Rhin – Les Filles du Rhin* presents three elongated figures standing in a riverine setting. The women, rendered in soft tones, gaze upward and to the right, their arms extended as if reaching toward an unseen source. The composition exudes a quiet, almost reverential atmosphere, with the water and muted background enhancing the sense of stillness.
Subject & Meaning
The work visualizes the Rhine maidens, the mythic water nymphs who appear in the opening of Wagner’s opera *Das Rheingold*. By portraying them in a tranquil pose, Fantin‑Latour emphasizes their ethereal nature and the lyrical quality of the music that inspired them, inviting viewers to contemplate the intersection of myth, sound, and visual art.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the image relies on delicate gradations of tone achieved through careful stone work and multiple passes of ink. The style aligns with Symbolist tendencies, favoring mood and suggestion over precise detail, and the dreamy palette underscores the otherworldly character of the subject.
History & Provenance
Created in 1886, the print reflects Fantin‑Latour’s occasional forays into literary and musical illustration beyond his well‑known still‑lifes and portraits. It entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it remains part of the museum’s holdings of 19th‑century prints.
Context
During the late nineteenth century, Symbolist artists frequently turned to operatic and mythological sources to express inner states and spiritual ideas. Fantin‑Latour’s choice of Wagner’s Rhine maidens situates the work within this broader cultural fascination with the synthesis of music, myth, and visual representation.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Ignace Henri Jean Theodore Fantin-Latour (French pronunciation: ; 14 January 1836 – 25 August 1904) was a French painter and lithographer best known for his flower paintings and group portraits of Parisian artists and writers.
