Broadside with 48 scenes from the life of the Count of Monte Cristo
1860
Medium
Wood engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 17 1/8 × 12 3/16 in. (43.5 × 31 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Max G. Wildnauer Fund, 1978
Accession Number
1978.643.49(5)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the dramatic world of Alexandre Dumas' *The Count of Monte Cristo* with this captivating 1860 broadside by Spanish artist José María Marés. This wood engraving masterfully compresses the novel's epic tale of betrayal, imprisonment, and revenge into 48 intricate vignettes, arranged across a single sheet measuring 17⅛ × 12¼ inches. From the unjust arrest of Edmond Dantès to his transformation into the enigmatic Count and triumphant vengeance against soldiers, prisoners, and tormentors, the scenes pulse with themes of suffering, resilience, and justice—evident in the tags of men locked ...
About the Artist
José María Marés · 1850–1870
José María Marés was a Spanish printer, publisher, and broadside producer active in Madrid from approximately 1850 to 1870. Operating first from addresses on the Calle de Relatores and later from the Plazuela de la Cebada under the imprint Imprenta de Marés y Compañía, he ran one of the more prolific popular-print establishments in mid-nineteenth-century Madrid. His presses produced illustrated br...