Camaret-sur-Mer Finistère Brittany France – Fishermen’s Soup Engraving c.1894

Description

Camaret-sur-Mer engraving dating from circa 1894, depicting Breton fishermen preparing soup aboard their boat in Finistère, Brittany, France.

Entitled “En relâche à Camaret (La soupe)” — “At Rest in Camaret: The Soup” — the composition reproduces a painting by Ricardo Richon-Brunet and was engraved by the celebrated French engraver Charles Baude.

The original work is documented under number 2056 in the catalogue of the 1894 Fine Arts exhibition. This printed reproduction can therefore be cautiously dated to circa 1894.

Two Breton fishermen are shown resting aboard their working boat. Gathered beside the mast, they prepare and share a warming meal. A fish, a knife and various utensils lie on the wooden bench, while a woven provision basket occupies the foreground.

Beyond the vessel, the composition opens onto the harbour of Camaret-sur-Mer, with its traditional buildings, cliffs and fishing boats. The scene combines documentary interest with an intimate portrayal of the daily lives of Breton seafarers at the end of the 19th century.

Charles Baude’s engraving is especially accomplished. The close network of lines creates a remarkable variety of textures in the fishermen’s clothing, the weathered timbers of the boat, the smoke rising from the cooking pot and the architecture of the distant harbour.

Ricardo Richon-Brunet (1866–1946) was a French-born painter and art critic. After studying and working in France, he settled in Chile in 1900 and became an influential figure in the country’s artistic and cultural life.

Charles Baude (1853–1935) was a respected French wood engraver known for translating paintings exhibited at the Paris Salons into highly detailed illustrations for major period publications.

Details:

– Location depicted: Camaret-sur-Mer, Finistère, Brittany, France
– Original title: En relâche à Camaret (La soupe)
– Artist: Ricardo Richon-Brunet
– Engraver: Charles Baude
– Proposed date: circa 1894
– Medium: wood engraving on paper
– Sheet dimensions: 35.7 × 25.9 cm
– Engraved image dimensions: 29 × 21 cm
– Period: late 19th century
– Supplied unframed

An evocative maritime print for collectors of Brittany, French coastal views, fishing history, Camaret-sur-Mer memorabilia and 19th-century European engravings.