Auguste Raffet, Women at the Fountain, Lithograph, 1830s

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Description

Lithograph on wove paper, realized between 1830 and 1850. Signed in the plate. Image dimension: 21x27 cm. The sheet shows … Read more Lithograph on wove paper, realized between 1830 and 1850. Signed in the plate. Image dimension: 21x27 cm. The sheet shows scattered foxing and toning, with slight edge wear consistent with age. The image area remains well preserved, with clear tonal contrasts and detail retention. Numbered “1383” in pencil at upper margin (verso). This finely executed lithograph is characteristic of Auguste Raffet’s acute observational style and romanticist sensibility. Depicting a group of traditionally dressed Oriental women carrying water vessels, the scene evokes the 19th-century European fascination with the Levant and Near Eastern cultures. Raffet’s subtle rendering of drapery, movement, and group dynamics imbues the composition with quiet narrative energy. The print’s atmospheric sepia tone suggests it may be from one of Raffet’s travel-related series, possibly drawn from his time illustrating for the Prince de Joinville or during the Crimean campaigns. Works of this kind often served as visual documents of ethnographic interest as well as expressions of romantic exoticism. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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