Autumn (L'Automne)

Art Historical Context

**Autumn (L'Automne)**, an exquisite etching created around 1637 by the collaboration of French printmaker Abraham Bosse designer Jean I Leblond, captures the essence of the season. Measuring 10 x 12 9/16 inches, this print from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Drawings and Prints department showcases Bosse's mastery of etching—a technique he championed through detailed line work and tonal depth, allowing for intricate reproductions of everyday scenes. Bosse, a key figure in 17th French printmaking, often documented contemporary life with a realistic flair, bridging Baroque ornamentation and emerging naturalism. The composition likely evokes the joys of autumn through vignettes of men, women, and dogs amid clusters of ripe grapes, symbolizing abundance and communal labor in rural France. Such seasonal imagery was popular in series depicting the Four Seasons, reflecting the agrarian rhythms central to European culture during Louis XIII's reign. Etchings like this made art accessible beyond paintings, disseminating cultural motifs to a wider audience. Acquired via the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund in 1926, this work highlights the enduring appeal of Bosse's precise technique, inviting viewers to savor the lively interplay of figures and nature in a golden harvest moment.

About the Artist

Abraham Bosse|Jean I Leblond · 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 ...