An artwork on Galleree from Cleveland Museum of Art.
About the artwork
Trophy of the Huntc. 1867
Adolphe Braun
Adolphe Braun French, 1812-1877
Adolphe Braun, a French textile designer born in Besançon and trained in Paris, opened his own studio in Dornach, Alsace, before becoming involved in photography in the early 1850s. He produced several early floral textile designs that were published as lithographs. In 1853 Braun began work on a large album of some 300 photographic still-life studies of flowers, intended as aids for artists in the field of decorative arts. The work met with such success at the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris that he left the field of design for photography. Braun's carefully executed still lifes are considered to be among the finest ever done.
From the mid-1850s on, Braun's firm, Adolphe Braun et Cie., later headed by his son Gaston (1845–1928), became one of the world's largest studios and publishers of topographical views and of reproductions of works of art. In the latter effort, their importance was in part due to Gaston's success with the orthochromatic process, in which photographic reproductions retained a tonal range very close to that of the original work of art. Braun et Cie. were the official photographers to Napoléon III and Pope Pius IX. Their reproductions of works in the Louvre, the Sistine Chapel, and many other subjects in architecture, sculpture, painting, and drawing, sometimes using the more permanent carbon or Woodburytype processes, were offered in all sizes and formats, and became the standard in their field. The number of negatives taken by the Brauns or their operators was variously estimated in 1870 to be between 4,000 and 8,000. The Brauns were members of the Société française de photographie. Both were awarded the French Legion of Honor-Adolphe in 1860, and Gaston in 1892. T.W.F.
Braun intended his extraordinarily large prints as affordable middle-class alternatives to the painted hunt scenes adorning the country houses of the European upper classes. Here he shows an array of game birds prized for their flavor and the hunting challenge they offer. The 19th-century versions, created by photographers and even some Impressionist painters, evoke a leisurely rural pastime that was becoming rare in an increasingly urban, industrialized France.
Adolphe Braun’s hunt still lifes continue a tradition popular in Northern European painting from the 17th century on.
carbon print
Image: 78 x 59.8 cm (30 11/16 x 23 9/16 in.); Framed: 99.7 x 79.4 cm (39 1/4 x 31 1/4 in.)
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
In the quiet corners of a bustling world, a vision began to take shape—a vision born from the pen of Robert Braun. He envisioned prints that would bridge the gap between the opulent tastes of the elite and the humble pocket of the middle class. These weren’t just mere images; they were stories captured on paper, affordable alternatives to grand painted hunt scenes that graced the walls of Europe's stately homes.
Imagine standing on the threshold of one of those grand country houses, where the flicker of candlelight dances upon the ornate frames, and the scent of polished wood and aged leather envelops you. The sound of laughter and clinking glasses spills into the night, but outside, life remains untouched by the economic divide. It's in this world that Braun's large prints emerge, vibrant and evocative, showcasing an array of game birds—each one a testament to their delicate flavor and the challenge they present to those who seek them.
These birds, with their elegant plumage and grace, stir in the heart the thrill of the hunt, a rural tradition that echoes through time. Braun’s works connect viewers to a world that was swiftly vanishing, a serene pastime overshadowed by the relentless march of urbanization and industry that marked 19th-century France. As the soot of industrial factories began to stain farmlands, the leisurely pursuits of hunting became a memory, a fading echo of simpler joys.
In Braun's prints, time stands still. The vibrant hues invite you to imagine the sounds of rustling leaves, the crisp air filled with the excitement of the chase. They remind us of a time when nature and humanity danced in harmony, before the world evolved into something unprecedented. Each print isn’t just about the hunt; it’s a quiet rebellion against the changing tide, an affirmation of life that still resonates deeply within the soul.
About the artist
Creating transformative experiences through art “for the benefit of all the people forever.”The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The artworks shared on this platform are sourced from the museum's Open Access data under the CC0 license. No endorsement is implied.Address: 11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH, USA 44106
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