A gorgeous original hand signed etching published by M. Knoedler after a work by the great French Realist painter Jules Breton (1827-1906). It was etched in 1889 by Lionel Le Couteux (1847-1909), whom Knoedler regularly used to create etched versions of Breton paintings. The subject is the central figure taken from Breton's 1859 masterwork "Le Rappel des glaneuses", now in the Musee d'Orsay, Paris. 

This etching is quite rare, firstly it is pencil signed both by Breton and Le Couteaux and secondly I can find no trace of its existence on the internet although there are plenty of other examples of Breton/Couteaux collaborative works. 

The image measures 9 3/4 x 7 inches, sheet size is approx. 12 1/2 x 9 5/8 inches and it is printed in black ink on imitation vellum paper, overall size with mat is 19 x 15 inches. Aside from some age toning, it is in fine condition. The print is mounted in an archival rag mat using archival tape and backing, it was deaccessioned from the collection of the Everson Museum in Syracuse, NY and retains the institution's label.