# 5 from " Livre second essais de gravjre " second book of Engraved Designs
c. 1703
Medium
etching and engraving
Dimensions
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Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of William Ellery Greene for the Lucy S. Greene Collection
Accession Number
1963.563
Tags
About this artwork
The title page for this set of prints suggests that Bourdon’s designs are “useful for clockmakers, goldsmiths, chiselers, engravers and other people.” These craftsmen who made ornamented objects, such as the boxes and pistol below, sometimes consulted printed designs for inspiration. However, pattern prints similar to Bourdon’s also catered to aristocrats and wealthy professionals who pursued knowledge about styles and artists as a form of entertainment.
About the Artist
Pierre Bourdon (French)
Georges Hugnet (1906–1974) was a multifaceted French artist, poet, writer, and critic whose innovative collages and graphic works bridged Dada and Surrealism. Born in Paris on July 11, 1906, he spent much of his early childhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, returning to France around 1913. His early life and artistic training remain sparsely documented, with no records of formal art school attendanc...