French engraving — Clerget, Hubert

Hubert Clerget (July 29, 1818, Dijon — March 4, 1899, Saint-Denis) was a French painter, draughtsman, lithographer, and engraver, renowned for his architectural landscapes and book illustrations .

Clerget was born in Dijon and received his artistic education from distinguished masters — painter Anatole Devosge (1770–1850) and architect Claude Saint-Père (1771–1854) . This dual training — both pictorial and architectural — defined the character of his work, combining precision of architectural details with artistic expressiveness.

Between 1843 and 1873, Clerget regularly exhibited at the Paris Salon, presenting watercolor architectural views of France, Italy, Germany, and Sweden . His works were appreciated by contemporaries and are now preserved in many French museums.

Hubert Clerget was a prolific illustrator and participated in numerous illustrated publications . Particularly notable in his oeuvre are:

"Souvenirs de Jérusalem" — an album of lithographs created in 1862 .

"Album du centenaire" — an extensive collection of portraits of figures from the French Revolution of 1789–1804, to which Clerget contributed alongside other renowned illustrators .

"L'Allemagne illustrée" — a five-volume publication from 1885–1888 illustrated by Clerget .

His works were published in the popular magazine "Le Tour du Monde", where he illustrated travel essays by various authors . Among his works for this publication:

A colored engraving of the pagoda in Srirangam (1869) 

A view of Old Amsterdam for Charles de Coster's story (1878) 

Scenes from Dublin for Marie Anne de Bovet's essays (1889) 

Sacramento Street in San Francisco (1875) 

A Buddhist chapel in Mongolia (1877) 

Views of Algeria and Samarkand 

Clerget worked in various techniques: oil painting, watercolor, lithography, chromolithography, and pen drawing . He created numerous chromolithographs featuring French landmarks — cities, churches, and châteaux. Particularly valuable are his architectural sketches done from life.

In addition to his artistic activities, Clerget was a professor of drawing at the Imperial Staff School.

Hubert Clerget's works are held in major museum collections, including the Louvre (graphic arts department) , the Musée d'Orsay , and the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem) . His works are also represented in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg .

The artist died on March 4, 1899, in Saint-Denis (according to other sources — in Vanves) . His legacy comprises thousands of drawings and engravings, which continue to be studied by art historians and collected by connoisseurs of antique prints.