A Moroccan family in front of an arch, father standing, mother lower left on the ground holding a child
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 15 11/16 × 11 1/8 in. (39.8 × 28.3 cm) Plate: 9 3/16 × 5 1/2 in. (23.3 × 14 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of M. Knoedler & Co
Accession Number
19.18.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
Mariano Fortuny’s 1862 etching *A Moroccan family in front of an arch* captures an intimate domestic scene with remarkable delicacy. The Spanish artist, celebrated for his Orientalist subjects, depicts a father standing protectively while the mother sits on the ground cradling a child, all framed by a simple architectural arch. Created during Fortuny’s travels in North Africa, the print reflects the nineteenth-century European fascination with Moroccan life and culture. Executed in etching, a medium Fortuny mastered for its ability to render fine detail and subtle tonal contrasts, the work sh...
About the Artist
Mariano Fortuny, 1838–1874 (Spanish) · 1838 –1874
Spanish, 1838–1874