R"Le Chapeau Epingle"

RENOIR, PIERRE AUGUSTE
(1841 - 1919)
Le Chapeau Épinglé (La fille de Berthe Morisot et sa cousine)
3rd plate
Pinning the Hat
Delteil 8, Stella 8
Etching in Black Ink, c. 1894
Second State, Restrike
Signature in plate “Renoir” lower left
Edition Size Unknown

Julie Manet, daughter of Renoir’s great friend and painter Berthe Morisot, and her cousin Paulette Gobillard are the models for this subject.
The study of the Chapeau Épinglé was a favorite for Renoir. He made five versions of it in his graphic oeuvre. The composition was inspired by a drawing which he made whilst on holiday in 1893 in Brittany with Berthe Morisot, her husband and their daughter Julie as well as her cousin Paulette. Julie was a favorite model for Renoir appearing in a number of paintings and many drawings. At this period Renoir, like many of the other Impressionist painters was seeking a way of re-emphasizing line in his work (and thus structural strength) without losing the concentration of modelling through tone. It was to this end that he began to use darkened backgrounds, building up the forms of his figures through a pattern of tone.
RESTRIKE OR REISSUE: This term is generally encountered in descriptions of prints from earlier centuries. The etched plates of some artists remained in existence after their death and were subsequently reprinted. Although not part of the approved edition -- as long as they come from the original plates, they are generally considered to be original prints.