Les instruments de l'eau-forte (Instruments for Etching)

François Bonvin is primarily known as a painter but also worked as an etcher. Among the few known completed etchings is a series of six plates, printed by Auguste Delâtre in 1861 with the title “Six eaux-fortes, dessinées et gravées par F. Bonvin, peintre.” (“Six etchings, designed and engraved by F. Bonvin, painter”)

The title page represents the instruments used in the etching process: a sheet of paper, the copper plate, bottles of acid, a funnel, the needle, and a magnifying glass.

Bonvin produced this series of etchings at a time when this form of art became extremely popular in France. He allowed his series to be sold by the publisher Alfred Cadart, whose studio was often the meeting place for a number of prominent engravers including Antoine Vollon, Théodule Ribot, Adolphe Appian, and Félix Bracquemond, the latter two of which are included in this exhibition. In 1862, Cadart founded the Société des Acquafortistes (Society of Etchers) to promote the art of etching. However, Bonvin was never a member of this society.