Félix BRACQUEMOND (Paris, 1833 - Sèvres, 1914) Portrait of Three Bust-Length Girls Charcoal and etching Unframed H: 60.5 cm, W: 46.0 cm This spectacular drawing of three young girls framed as busts brings together all the stylistic characteristics of Félix Bracquemond's graphic genius. The mastery of modelling in black and white is combined with a skilful use of blur covering the entire sheet to convey the different light reflections. The model's elegant Second Empire hairstyle, with its receding profile taking up the entire foreground, combines a wide chignon with flat bands of straightened hair, suggesting a date close to the marriage of Félix and Marie in 1869, reinforcing the intimate, tender character of this work. Félix BRACQUEMOND (Paris, 1833 - Sèvres, 1914) H: 60.5 cm, W: 46.0 cm This spectacular drawing of three young girls framed as busts brings together all the stylistic characteristics of Félix Bracquemond's graphic genius. The mastery of modelling in black and white is combined with a skilful use of blur covering the entire sheet to convey the different light reflections. The model's elegant Second Empire hairstyle, with its receding profile taking up the entire foreground, combines a wide chignon with flat bands of straightened hair, suggesting a date close to the marriage of Félix and Marie in 1869, reinforcing the intimate, tender character of this work.