Henri Rivière’s finest hours, Brittany at twilight

Among the many prints, illustrated books and multiples offered by Millon in Paris, enthusiasts won’t want to miss this lithograph on glazed vellum (59.8 x 24 cm), Le Crépuscule, by Henri Rivière (1864-1951). It comes from the suite ” La Féérie des heures “, a series of sixteen lithographs printed in editions of 2,000 by…

Among the many prints, illustrated books and multiples offered by Millon in Paris, enthusiasts won’t want to miss this lithograph on glazed vellum (59.8 x 24 cm), Le Crépuscule, by Henri Rivière (1864-1951). It comes from the suite ” La Féérie des heures “, a series of sixteen lithographs printed in editions of 2,000 by Eugène Verneau in 1901 (the first eight) and 1902 (the other eight). This kakemono-format lithograph, signed on the plate and estimated at €800/1,000, has the distinctive feature of being countersigned in blue in the lower right-hand corner. The twelfth print in the series, it shows a man and a woman unloading the catch, on the eastern slipway of the port of Loguivy, Côtes-d’Armor. Henri Rivière was a master in the art of printmaking, drawing inspiration from the Impressionists and Japanese masters, foremost among them Hokusai and Hiroshige. At the time, he was the only artist to dare to print in 12 or 14 colors. With La Féérie des heures, he reached a summit in a language of absolute simplicity.