
Read the visual description
The image depicts a group of five individuals in a sketch drawing. Four figures are seated, with two on the left side and two on the right. One person stands in the center leaning over a table. The person standing is shown in profile with their head bent slightly forward. Facial features are not clearly defined due to the sketch style. On the right side, a seated figure resembles Jesus with long hair and a beard, draped in clothing that pools around bare feet. Next to them, another seated person has long hair. On the left side, two figures are seated—one is a child on a woman's lap, both looking towards the center. The clothing is loose and flowing, depicted with sketchy lines. The background is plain, lacking additional context. The sketch is done in a linear style with sparse details, focusing on the figures' positioning and clothing.
National Gallery of Art · Print
Avant le repas à Emmaus (1ère planche) (Before the Supper at Emmaus) (first plate)
Jean-Louis Forain
- Date
- 1910
- Medium
- etching on laid Van Gelder paper
- Dimensions
- plate: 29.7 × 39.3 cm (11 11/16 × 15 1/2 in.) sheet: 38.9 × 54.6 cm (15 5/16 × 21 1/2 in.)
- Classification
- Accession number
- 1943.3.3797
- Credit line
- Rosenwald Collection
- Time span
- 1901 to 1925
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- French
- Seated figure
- Table
- Costume
- Man
- Figures
Provenance
Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1943.
Inscription
"forain" lower right margin, graphite, artist's hand. Not dated. "1er etat" lower left margin, graphite, artist's hand. "G. 95 I Avant le repas à Emmaus" verso, lower center sheet, graphite, unknown hand. "19842" verso, lower right sheet, graphite, unknown hand.
Marks
"LRJ" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1760b). "National Gallery of Art" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1932d).
Watermarks
[Fortune figure] / "VAN GELDER ZONEN"
NGA object ID 6915. 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.