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Claude Ferdinand GAILLARD

Claude-Ferdinand Gaillard (1834-1887) was a precocious Parisian artist, who went about building his career methodically, studying at the Ecole des Beaus- Arts de Paris, and winning the Prix de Rome in 1856. Despite this traditional background, and while his style can be called conservative, he did find his own voice. As a painter he is mostly known as an orientalist, with exceptional technical abilities and a great sense of color. As a printmaker, he may have started his career as a craftsman, but quickly went on to devise his own interest. He is, without doubt, one of the most accomplished pure-line engravers (burin engraving) of the 19th century. He was able, carving lines invisible to the naked eye, to engrave textures that have not been surpassed. While many of his prints are after, his own paintings, or those of others, this should not distract from the fact that they are masterpieces in their own right.