French engraving — Bar, Pierre Alexandre de

Alexandre-Pierre de Bar (July 14, 1821, Montreuil-sur-Mer — 1908, Paris) was a French painter, draughtsman, illustrator, and engraver, one of the notable masters of book illustration during the Second Empire.

De Bar was born in the town of Montreuil-sur-Mer in northern France . He initially worked as a porcelain painter — a craft that provided many 19th-century artists with a foundational education in drawing and color. In this field, he was a contemporary of such famous artists as Narcisse Diaz de la Peña and Constant Troyon, who also began their careers painting porcelain.

The young artist's talent attracted the attention of Alexis de Fontenay, who took him under his wing. By 1842, at the age of 21, de Bar had abandoned porcelain painting to devote himself entirely to painting.

From 1845 to 1870, Alexandre de Bar regularly exhibited his works at the Paris Salon, primarily landscapes. In 1849, he presented an etching at the Salon, demonstrating his work in printmaking techniques.

A pivotal event in his life was a trip to Egypt in 1856. De Bar traveled to North Africa to document an expedition exploring the sources of the Nile, spending a full year there. This journey enriched his artistic repertoire with Orientalist subjects, which were immensely popular in French art at the time.

Alexandre de Bar occupies a prominent place among illustrators of the Second Empire . He actively collaborated with leading publishing houses and illustrated journals of his time.

He created drawings for numerous wood engravings, which were then engraved by such renowned masters as Charles Barbant and A. Kohl . His works include:

Illustrations for Bernardin de Saint-Pierre's "Paul et Virginie" (Spanish edition, 1891).

The engraving "Monkeys in a Tree at Ambriz (Angola)" (1881), engraved by Barbant — an example of exotic subjects popular in French illustration.

The engraving "Tula Valley (Mexico)" (1881), engraved by A. Kohl.

Etchings for the collection "Poésies posthumes" by Edmond Roche (1863), where his works appeared alongside etchings by Camille Corot himself.

Beyond visual arts, de Bar also tried his hand at literature. He worked as a lyricist (parolier) and in 1859, in collaboration with Léonce (Laurençot), wrote the libretto for the one-act musical play "Dans la Rue" (In the Street), set to music by H. Caspers.

Alexandre de Bar's works are preserved in the documentation of the Musée d'Orsay, where he is listed as a "genre painter". His numerous engravings continue to appear on the antique market and are valued by collectors of vintage book illustrations. De Bar died in Paris in 1908.