A characterful self-portrait by French Impressionist Jean-François Raffaëlli, executed in etching and drypoint with subtle colour.

This self-portrait by Jean-François Raffaëlli demonstrates the artist's technical command of printmaking, specifically his use of etching and drypoint. Raffaëlli, a figure associated with the Impressionist circle, often turned his attention to the inhabitants of the Parisian suburbs and the working class. In this work, he applies a similar observational rigour to his own likeness.

The composition is defined by a series of rapid, directional lines that construct the form of the jacket and the suggestion of a background. These marks create a sense of movement and immediacy, characteristic of the artist's graphic style. The face is rendered with greater density, using fine cross-hatching to model the contours of the cheeks, the structure of the nose, and the texture of the beard. The eyes, highlighted with a subtle touch of colour, provide a point of engagement for the viewer, conveying a direct and unvarnished gaze.

Raffaëlli was a proponent of the 'couleur' print, a technique he refined to introduce tonal variation into the traditional black-and-white medium of etching. By incorporating selective colour, he adds warmth to the skin tones and depth to the overall image without obscuring the underlying linear work. The print reflects the late nineteenth-century interest in the psychological potential of the portrait, moving away from formal academic posing toward a more personal, spontaneous representation. The artist's signature is visible in the lower margin, confirming the work as a deliberate exercise in self-presentation. This piece offers a view into the working methods of an artist who balanced the traditions of the academy with the experimental spirit of his contemporaries.