Princess Maleine (The Little Madonna)

1892

Odilon Redon

(French, 1840–1916)

Culture

Medium

Measurements

Plate: 8.6 x 6.3 cm (3 3/8 x 2 1/2 in.); Image: 12 x 6.7 cm (4 3/4 x 2 5/8 in.); Sheet: 23.1 x 19.8 cm (9 1/8 x 7 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Dudley P. Allen Fund 2021.172

Catalogue raisonné

Harrison 26; Werner 196; Mellerio 22

State

only state

Edition

I/III; edition of 8

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Odilon Redon created this print by reusing the copper plate from his 1880 etching David, and the earlier image is faintly visible throughout.

Description

Although Odilon Redon was best known for his lithographs, he created nearly 30 prints using etching throughout his career. Here, he depicted Princess Maleine, the protagonist of a tragic drama by avant-garde playwright Maurice Maeterlinck, himself a collector of Redon’s prints. The young woman is represented in feathery black lines and tonal areas created using drypoint, a technique that wears down as impressions are printed.