Augustin de Thou, president au Parlement

Art Historical Context

This etching by Jean Morin presents a formal portrait of Augustin de Thou, identified in the title as president of the Parlement, the sovereign judicial court of France. Rendered in the intimate scale of the printed image, the work captures the dignity and authority of its subject through careful line work and tonal contrast. As a print, it belongs to a long tradition of reproductive portraiture that allowed images of notable figures to circulate beyond the original painting or drawing. Etching offered artists like Morin a versatile medium capable of fine detail and expressive shading, making it especially suited for portraiture in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The technique’s accessibility also meant such works could reach wider audiences through collections and publications, preserving likenesses of civic leaders for posterity. Housed today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this sheet entered the collection in 1937 as part of a generous gift that strengthened the museum’s holdings of European prints. Its presence invites visitors to consider both the individual commemorated and the enduring role of printmaking in shaping historical memory.

About the Artist

Jean Morin · 1605–1650

Jean Morin (c. 1605–1650) was one of the most accomplished French engravers of the seventeenth century, a master of the portrait print whose work stands among the finest examples of French graphic art in its era. Little is known about his early life or training, though his technique suggests exposure to both French and Flemish engraving traditions, the latter being the dominant force in European p...