"Brennus" from The Complete Works of Béranger
Medium
Wood engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 5/8 × 5 1/2 in. (21.9 × 14 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection. The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.500.687(42)
Art Historical Context
Visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings Prints department will encounter "Brennus," a captivating wood engraving from 1836, featured in *The Complete Works of Béranger*. This illustration Pierre Jean de Béranger, the French lyricist whose witty, often subversive songs critiqued politics and society during the Restoration and July Monarchy eras. "Brennus" likely depicts the ancient Gallic chieftain who famously sacked Rome in 390—a nod to Béranger's penchant for blending history with patriotic fervor in his verses. Crafted by a stellar ensemble including satirical master J.J. Gra...
About the Artist
L. Chauchefoin|J. J. Grandville|Auguste Raffet|Fournier & Perrotin|Pierre Jean de Béranger (French|French|French|French|French) · 1800 |1803 |1804 | |1780 –1900 |1847 |1860 | |1857
French|French, Nancy 1803–1847 Vanves|French, Paris 1804–1860 Genoa|French|French, Paris 1780–1857 Paris