Avril, from the Almanach iconologique
Medium
Etching and Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 4 5/16 x 6 1/2 in. (11 x 16.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.211
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Avril," or "April," is a delicate etching and engraving from the *Almanach iconologique a series of illustrated almanacs popular in 18th-century France. around 1765–81 by the renowned Rococo artists Hubert François Gravelot and François Rousseau, this small print (just 4 5/16 x 6 1/2 inches) captures the essence of springtime through graceful female figures and cows, evoking pastoral harmony. Gravelot, a master illustrator known for his elegant line work in books and decorative arts, collaborated with Rousseau to produce these vivid monthly vignettes, blending whimsy with seasonal symbolism. ...
About the Artist
Hubert François Gravelot|Jean François Rousseau
Hubert-François Bourguignon, known as Gravelot (1699–1773), was a leading French Rococo engraver, illustrator, and designer whose elegant draftsmanship bridged the artistic worlds of France and England. Born in Paris to a tailor, he adopted his pseudonym from a godfather and grew up alongside his elder brother, the geographer Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville. After neglecting studies at the Col...