A FINDING IN FEMALE ART

Birds of Corrientes (and elsewhere). Last quarter of the 19th century.

Exceptional set of 67 originals, signed. Ink and watercolor. Paper measurements: 22.1 x 14.4 cm / 8.7 x 5.66 in. Works in excellent condition.

The collection is made up of 52 birds from the province of Corrientes; 1 from Paraguay, 12 from Panama and 2 from Caracas, Venezuela. The monumentality of the complex indicates that we are facing a discovery of hierarchy with an author who must join the concert of women artists so little studied and of such value: Marie Brochet des Roches. The watercolors bear indications of the bird portrayed and the signature of its author: Marie Brochet, all in ink. And below those texts, an initial one in graphite. Under the signature we read (surely erased by her), “M. Brochet des Roches pinxit "

With no biographical references in sight, she is probably a descendant of P. Brochet des Roches, an engineer who drew up the Corrientes Geographical Map, printed by R. Simon in 1877, and worked on railway projects in the region.

Achieved with mastery of drawing and color, this striking ensemble activates the long tradition of scientific illustrations. The approach of birds from our province of Corrientes -in the vast majority- and from neighboring Paraguay allude to their passage through the region, while those from Panama and Venezuela indicate a move towards that geography.

S.E.H.9.C2-IHMM