Auguste Herbin (1882-1960) - Aquarelle

Auguste Herbin - Original stenciling in gouache 1929

Edition of 1500

Printed by Daniel Jacomet

Perfect condition

Sheet 21 x 27 cm

Stencil 15 x 17.5 cm

In 1929, pochoir was an extraordinarily meticulous artisanal craft process, mainly used for fashion and luxury Art Deco publishing.

The work rests on the manual coloring of a sheet on which the outlines have been pre-printed. Artisans cut brass, zinc, or celluloid sheets with a scalpel — one plate for each shade, sometimes requiring up to 80 stencils for a single image. Using round brushes, sponges, or cotton, colorists then apply gouache.

This method offers a unique rendering: flat areas of pure color, a matte material with perceptible relief, and gradients that cannot be reproduced with mechanical printing. Long and costly, the technique gradually faded at the beginning of the 1930s with the development of industrial printing processes.