The Little Cavaliers

The Little Cavaliers, created in 1860 by Édouard Manet (French, 1832-1883) after a work by Diego Velázquez, stands as a foundational example of 19th-century French engagement with Spanish Baroque painting. This early graphic work by Manet demonstrates the artist’s profound respect for the earlier Spanish master's command of light and shadow, characteristics which would later inform Manet’s revolutionary approach to modern painting. The print translates the classical subject matter into a contemporary graphic sensibility, forming a critical link between historical precedents and the nascent modernist movement in France.

The execution of this piece required a complex application of multiple intaglio techniques, including etching, drypoint, roulette, and bitten tone, yielding a rich, varied surface quality. The printmaker Auguste Delâtre expertly realized Manet’s nuanced vision. Furthermore, the print utilizes chine collé, a specialized technique in which the image is printed onto a thin, delicate sheet of gray chine paper and subsequently laid down onto a heavier ivory wove paper backing, deepening the intensity of the black ink. The work was published by Cadart et Chevalier Editeurs, a major enterprise responsible for the distribution of fine art prints during this period.

This significant classification of prints documents Manet’s early exploration of reproducibility and the graphic medium’s potential for disseminating artistic ideas. The Little Cavaliers is frequently referenced as a key work documenting the revival of etching in Paris. This French masterwork, whose historical importance ensures its presence across various platforms, resides within the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.