Félicien Rops, Happiness in Crime, 1882, Etching

Details

Description

Héliogravure with manual adjustments in etching and drypoint. Not signed nor numbered, as issued. A remarkable impression after Le Bonheur … Read more Héliogravure with manual adjustments in etching and drypoint. Not signed nor numbered, as issued. A remarkable impression after Le Bonheur dans le Vice, one of the most celebrated compositions by Félicien Rops, created as an illustration for Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly's Les Diaboliques. The composition presents an allegorical vision of sensual temptation: a nude couple, entwined by a serpent, embraces atop a classical pedestal adorned with the severed head of Medusa, while a veiled female figure kneels below in an attitude of despair or contemplation. Radiant light emanates behind the embracing lovers, paradoxically sanctifying an image devoted to vice, seduction, and moral ambiguity. Rendered in rich heliogravure, the print faithfully captures the subtle tonal transitions and velvety blacks characteristic of Rops' graphic work. The carefully balanced composition juxtaposes classical mythology, Christian symbolism, and Symbolist allegory in a visual meditation on the triumph of sensuality over virtue. The serpent winding around the figures evokes both the biblical Fall and the eternal cycle of desire, while the Medusa's head reinforces themes of fatal beauty and irresistible attraction. Created during the height of the European Symbolist and Decadent movements, Le Bonheur dans le Vice represents one of Rops' most sophisticated explorations of erotic philosophy. Closely associated with the literary circles of Charles Baudelaire, Barbey d'Aurevilly, Huysmans, and Joséphin Péladan, Rops developed an iconography in which classical, religious, and psychological motifs merge into highly intellectual allegories of modern existence. The print is struck on fine cream-toned wove paper with spacious margins. It displays rich plate tone, clear tonal gradations in the background rays, and velvety depth in the etched shadow passages. The outer sheet shows minor, uniform age-toning and very light surface dust along the extreme deckled margins. The lower margin retains contemporary archival cataloging notations in pencil. 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



issues arising from misattribution See less