The Watering Place

Pablo Picasso|Eugène Delâtre

1906 · Drypoint, before steel facing · Drawings and Prints

A rare drypoint pulled by Auguste Delâtre, Picasso's first master printer, this proof is one of about ten printed at the time the artist executed the plate. It is closely related to a series of drawings of the same subject also completed in 1906, one of which is in the Museum's collection. Vollard published a later edition of the print - part of the Saltimbanques Suite - after the plate had been steel-faced, a process whereby a thin layer of iron is deposited on the surface of an etched copper plate to prevent its deterioration during printing. While steel-facing allows for a larger edition, it diminishes the velvety line characteristic of drypoint.

Artist

Pablo Picasso|Eugène Delâtre

Date

1906

Medium

Drypoint, before steel facing

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Bequest of Scofield Thayer, 1982