Rodolphe Bresdin (1822–1885) The Forest (known as the Fontainebleau Forest). Circa 1880. Etching and drypoint. 170 x 255 [264 x 370 mm]. Van Gelder 142. A very fine print on laid paper. Scattered small foxing spots. Creases along the lower edge. Full margins. Extremely rare. A print run of 3 known copies. Dry stamp affixed by Rodolphine Bresdin, the artist’s daughter (Lugt 2194). AABM stamp (Lugt 3075). “This etching, which Boon calls the Forest of Fontainebleau, is in fact unfinished. [...] Although undated, this composition undoubtedly belongs among the etchings of 1880. Earlier catalogs dated it to before 1861, but the style and technique of this engraving make such a dating impossible. [...] It is one of Bresdin’s freest improvisations among his 1880 etchings. [...] Shortly after creating this etching, Bresdin completely reworked the plate to create an entirely new composition: *A Clearing in the Forest*.” (Dirk van Gelder, *Rodolphe Bresdin, Catalogue Raisonné of the Engraved Works*, vol. II, Paris, Éditions du Chêne, 1976, p. 141).