The etching shows two people seated closely together on grassy ground. Both individuals are depicted from the full upper body to partially visible lower bodies behind the grass. The person on the left leans towards the other, with their arm extended behind the seated person. Their features include a prominent nose, short styled hair, and they are looking downwards. This person wears a dark outfit. The person on the right sits slightly reclined with hands resting in their lap, looking upwards. They have long, flowing hair and wear a light-colored dress with short sleeves and visible detailing. There is a subtle outline of what appears to be a necklace around their neck. The background is filled with sketch-like cross-hatching to suggest the texture of the surrounding grass or foliage.
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The etching shows two people seated closely together on grassy ground. Both individuals are depicted from the full upper body to partially visible lower bodies behind the grass. The person on the left leans towards the other, with their arm extended behind the seated person. Their features include a prominent nose, short styled hair, and they are looking downwards. This person wears a dark outfit. The person on the right sits slightly reclined with hands resting in their lap, looking upwards. They have long, flowing hair and wear a light-colored dress with short sleeves and visible detailing. There is a subtle outline of what appears to be a necklace around their neck. The background is filled with sketch-like cross-hatching to suggest the texture of the surrounding grass or foliage.

National Gallery of Art · Print

Amorous Conversation (Conversation amoreuse)

Albert Besnard

Date
1913
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 10.8 x 13.8 cm (4 1/4 x 5 7/16 in.) sheet: 15.3 x 17.7 cm (6 x 6 15/16 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1990.95.27
Credit line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Time span
1901 to 1925
Department
CG-E

Portfolio and series

Series
Petites Voluptes [Del. 169-173]

Subjects and terms

  • French
  • etching
  • courtship
  • genre
  • Lovers
Provenance

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell, Cambridge, MA; gift to NGA, 1990.

Inscription

below platemark, lower right in graphite: ABesnard

Marks

None.

Watermarks

None.

NGA object ID 71653. 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.