1887 – 1938
Leon Danchin was born in Lille, France in 1887, studied sculpture at L’Ecole des Beaux Art in Paris and was accepted by the Salon des Artists from the age of sixteen.
Without abandoning his sculpture, he devoted himself to drawing, painting, watercolors and engraving. His specific interest developed towards country scenes with particular attention to dogs. Danchin’s work is widely recognized as some of the finest when it comes to the canine species. He specialized in sporting dogs and his images grace some of the most prestigious homes in the world. Danchin’s fine eye for detail and expression is evident in all of his work.
Besides painting and sculpting he produced about one-hundred engravings and lithographs, which were immediately successful in the art world.
Leon Danchin died at the beginning of the Second World War in Bergues, where he is now buried.
As the original artist and engraver, Danchin had ensured that his family would be able to retain ownership of his original plates for future engraving purposes.
The French method of engraving can sometimes involve more than one engraved plate and several different colored inks. The paper is applied to the inked plate under pressure in order to produce the image. The finer details of the subject are then hand colored using watercolor. This technique gives each engraving a subtle difference in color even though the images may be the same.