
Read the visual description
This is a drawing of a dimly lit interior space with several humanoid forms. The room depicted has an elongated perspective, and shadows dominate the composition. The walls and floorboards are meticulously rendered with fine lines. The right side of the room suggests a collection of thoughts or ideas made visible, while the large dark masses near the center may indicate resting or sleeping shapes. The left edge has a tall structure resembling a window or door, casting light across the room. The artwork's use of shading and cross-hatching creates a deep contrast, emphasizing the room's moody atmosphere.
National Gallery of Art · Print
A Guard Post (Un Poste de garde)
Maxime Lalanne
- Date
- 1871
- Medium
- etching on Japanese paper
- Dimensions
- image: 9 × 14 cm (3 9/16 × 5 1/2 in.) plate: 16.2 × 20.9 cm (6 3/8 × 8 1/4 in.) sheet: 23 × 31.1 cm (9 1/16 × 12 1/4 in.)
- Classification
- Accession number
- 2021.113.28
- Credit line
- Gift of Carol and James Goodfriend
- Time span
- 1851 to 1875
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- figure
- interior
- architecture
- Wall
Provenance
James and Carol Goodfriend, New York; gift to NGA, 2021.
Inscription
lower left in plate: Lalanne; lower center, in graphite: B80 V 79 ii/iii; lower right corner in graphite: 172 [indecipherable]/80
NGA object ID 224048. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.