A Woman from Savoy

Art Historical Context

**A Woman from Savoy** (1742) is a delicate etching with some engraving by Anne Claude Philippe Tubières, comte delus, after a design by the renowned sculptor Edme Bouch. Measuring just over 9 by 6 inches, this print captures the poised likeness of a woman from the Savoy region in the western Alps, now spanning parts of France, Italy, Switzerland. Created during the elegant Rococo era in France, it reflects the period's fascination with picturesque regional types and everyday elegance, blending portraiture with ethnographic curiosity. Caylus, an aristocratic antiquarian and skilled engraver, collaborated with Bouchardon, a leading figure in French neoclassical sculpture, to produce this work. Their technique—etching for fluid, spontaneous lines and engraving for precise detailing—highlights the woman's expressive features, traditional attire, and subtle textures, showcasing the versatility of printmaking as an accessible art form. Prints like this allowed wide dissemination of Bouchardon's designs, bridging sculpture and graphic arts. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953), this piece offers a window into 18th-century Europe's romanticized view of alpine cultures, celebrating female subjects amid the grandeur of Versailles-era refinement. A charming study in character and craft! (198 words)