All Resolutions

Artist
- Name:
- Johannot, Tony
- Dates:
- 1803-1852
- Country:
- France
Illustration
- Subject:
- Narratives
- Technique:
- Metal engraving
- Engraver:
- Revel
- Format:
- Portrait (taller)
- Source:
- Old Book Illustrations
Book
- Title:
- Fables de La Fontaine
- Author(s):
- La Fontaine, Jean de
- Publisher:
- Paris: Furne, Jouvet et Cie, 1875
Description
Two women are standing at the door of a house with a thatched roof. Vines are growing up the walls and in the background is a deserted street, with an empty cart parked in front of the inn, its shafts up in the air.
The whispering of the first woman is the only sound that seems to break the silence of this idle hour. A finger to her lips, she’s asking for a promise that will never be kept. This can be assumed from the smile of the second woman, from her gaze wandering far away and yet seeing nothing. Is it too far-fetched to imagine she is already anticipating the pleasure she will take in telling the story herself? In the foreground, the two ducks by the pool of water make a quacking echo to the two gossips.
The caption reads in the original French: Les femmes et le secret.
Keywords: 19th century, black & white, Fables de La Fontaine, female, Furne, leisure, rural, talking


