The Young Maiden and Death

The Young Maiden and Death, created by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot French, 1796-1875 in 1854, is a profound allegorical work that showcases the artist’s experimental approach to printmaking. This piece was rendered using the innovative cliché-verre technique on ivory photographic paper. This method, popular briefly among artists in France during the mid-nineteenth century, merges the drawing process with early photography. The artist etched or painted directly onto a glass plate, which was then used as a negative and exposed onto light-sensitive paper, allowing for unique tonal range unattainable through traditional etching.

While Corot is internationally recognized primarily for his serene and hazy landscapes, this somber subject matter addresses the universal theme of mortality and the brevity of life. The work features a delicate young woman confronting the figure of Death, presented with Corot’s characteristic draftsmanship and a soft interplay of shadows. The rich, velvety blacks and subtle gray gradations achieved through the cliché-verre process greatly enhance the dramatic, reflective mood of the composition.

This piece stands as an important example of Corot’s technical versatility and his contribution to the graphic arts. Though often reproduced as part of the growing body of works entering the public domain, this specific print is held in the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Young Maiden and Death demonstrates the depth and seriousness underlying the nineteenth-century French artistic movement, moving beyond pure landscape toward timeless narrative themes.