Allegories in Honor of the Birth of the Dauphin
ca. 1638
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 14 1/8 x 3 7/8 in. (35.8 x 9.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.846
Tags
Art Historical Context
Abraham Bosse's *Allegories in Honor of Birth of the Dauphin (ca. 1638) captures a moment of royal celebration in 17th-century France. shortly after the birth of Louis XIV—the future Sun King, heir to Louis XIII—this etching uses allegorical figures to honor the event. Bosse, a pioneering French printmaker and member of the Académie Royale infused his work with sharp social commentary, as hinted by its satirical tags. Amid the grandeur of the French monarchy, the print likely blends triumphant symbolism with subtle critique of courtly life and masculinity. Etching, Bosse's favored medium, all...
About the Artist
Abraham Bosse · 1602–1676
Abraham Bosse (1604–1676) was a French printmaker and theorist whose approximately 1,600 etchings provide an unparalleled visual record of 17th-century French life. Born to Huguenot parents in Tours, he trained in Paris under Melchior Tavernier and became a devoted follower of Jacques Callot's technical innovations. Bosse's meticulous etchings depicted subjects ranging from daily life and fashion ...