Boxing Match
Hermine David, drypoint and engraving Boxing Match, circa 1927, signed and numbered (4/10) in pencil, lower margin. Reference: Jean Adhemar, Inventaire Bibliotheque Nationale #12. In excellent condition, with full margins (some staining top margin near edge) (8 1/4 x 9 1/2, the sheet 12 3/4 x 16 1/4 inches), on BFK Rives cream wove paper, archival mounting.
A fine impression, with the burr from the drypoint giving the composition an atmospheric quality, while at the same time the drypoint is used to convey even the finest details of the many figures.
Hermine David (1886-1970) studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts from the age of 16, and showed frequently at the Salon des Femmes Peintures from 1905. She met Jules Pascin in 1907, becoming his steady companion; they later married. David and Pascin traveled together to the US, where Hermine continued her successful career, then returned to Europe in 1920. Her flair for detailed drypoint work is evident in the Boxing Match, as is her talent at composition.
This impression captures the gay atmosphere of this event, a match – really a social event – taking place in a baroque Parisian theatre.