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Source Description
Adolphe Appian was renowned during the 19th century for his mastery of charcoal drawing. He specialized in large-scale landscapes depicting Lyon, his native region in southeastern France, and focused on what he termed “private little corners” rather than grandiose views. This drawing is one of several in which Appian depicted the winding Rhône River and the dense trees and large boulders that surrounded it. Two small fishermen give a sense of scale and draw the viewer into the scene. Appian worked with charcoal sticks and powder, wiping the material with cloth, paper, and even breadcrumbs before scratching into the paper’s surface to create an unprecedented tonal range.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
441005
label
Three Fishermen Along the Banks of a River at the Edge of a Forest
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
441005
contentType
drawing
title
Three Fishermen Along the Banks of a River at the Edge of a Forest
description
Adolphe Appian was renowned during the 19th century for his mastery of charcoal drawing. He specialized in large-scale landscapes depicting Lyon, his native region in southeastern France, and focused on what he termed “private little corners” rather than grandiose views. This drawing is one of several in which Appian depicted the winding Rhône River and the dense trees and large boulders that surrounded it. Two small fishermen give a sense of scale and draw the viewer into the scene. Appian worked with charcoal sticks and powder, wiping the material with cloth, paper, and even breadcrumbs before scratching into the paper’s surface to create an unprecedented tonal range.
date
1868
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q117246820
creators
1548
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 59.4 x 98.5 cm (23 3/8 x 38 3/4 in.); Secondary Support: 60.5 x 99.5 cm (23 13/16 x 39 3/16 in.)
accession
2021.14
Source extras
tec
charcoal with stumping and scratching out and touches of white chalk on beige paper
tombstone
Three Fishermen Along the Banks of a River at the Edge of a Forest, 1868. Adolphe Appian (French, 1818–1898). Charcoal with stumping and scratching out and touches of white chalk on beige paper; sheet: 59.4 x 98.5 cm (23 3/8 x 38 3/4 in.); secondary support: 60.5 x 99.5 cm (23 13/16 x 39 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 2021.140
collection
DR - French
inscriptions
inscription
inscribed, lower left, in dark brown ink: Appian 1868
didYouKnow
Adolphe Appian was so well known for his skillful use of charcoal that many artists wrote to him asking for technical advice.
citations
citation
<em>Master Drawings: Vasari to Bonnard. </em>Exh. cat. New York: W. M. Brady & Co., 2017.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: no. 33
citation
Dumas, Ann, Leïla Jarbouai, Christopher Lloyd, and Harriet K. Stratis. Impressionists on Paper: Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec. London : Royal Academy of Arts, 2023.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 44, fig. 28
citation
Salsbury, Britany. <em>Nineteenth-Century French Drawings: The Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Lewes, UK, Cleveland, Ohio: GILES; Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 110-111, no. 15
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 09:00:56.691000
sourceId
441005
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - French
med
charcoal with stumping and scratching out and touches of white chalk on beige paper
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
0d2bce11b967e6d7