The Abandoned Château, Samuel V. Chamberlain

Exhibition Label: "American Etchers Abroad, 1880-1939," Apr-2004, Reed Anderson In drypoints like "The Abandoned Château" Chamberlain clearly demonstrated his mastery of the medium and his ability to convey depth, textures, and the interplay of light and dark. Chamberlain discovered the subject of this print near Fougères, Touraine in eastern Brittany, and although the structure was unidentified by the artist, it may possibly depict a section of one of the most well known landmarks in the region, the Château de Fougères, which is comprised of thirteen rounded towers topped by pinnacles and constructed of walls ten feet thick. The structure in Chamberlain’s print has been left unattended, yet remains in a remarkable state of preservation. The lawn is overgrown and unmanicured, leafless vines creep up the rough stones of the tower, and the clock, protected by the weathered eaves of the roof reads 11:40.