Artwork
Belphegor
Belphegor is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Emmanuel Patas. It dates from 1794 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1794 by Charles Emmanuel Patas, this print combines engraving, etching, drypoint and aquatint to depict an interior domestic scene.
Created in 1794 by Charles Emmanuel Patas, this print combines engraving, etching, drypoint and aquatint to depict an interior domestic scene. A man holds an infant by a window, while two children and an older woman occupy a nearby chair. Beyond the window a cityscape unfolds, and pigeons perch on the sill. The composition is crowded, with scattered dishes, a wandering dog, and a sense of quiet tension among the figures.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a fleeting moment of everyday life, focusing on familial interaction within a cramped interior. The man's attentive yet strained posture, the children's subdued presence, and the older woman's seated demeanor suggest a narrative of responsibility and domestic fatigue. The external city view and perched pigeons contrast the interior's confinement, hinting at the broader world beyond the household.
Technique & Style
Patas employs a layered approach, beginning with etched lines to outline forms, then adding drypoint for richer, velvety shadows, and finishing with aquatint washes that deepen tonal variation. Fine linear work renders textures such as clothing folds and rough plaster, while the dark tonal fields create an intimate atmosphere reminiscent of a snapshot rather than a staged tableau.
History & Provenance
The print was produced in the late eighteenth century, a period when French printmakers increasingly explored genre scenes of ordinary life. Patas, an active engraver of the era, signed the work, and it entered collections of private collectors interested in domestic genre prints. Its provenance traces through several European holdings before arriving in the museum's print department.
Artist & collection
