Caricature of a Printseller
Medium
Pen and black ink, brush and gray and colored wash over traces of black chalk
Dimensions
6 5/8 x 3 15/16 in. (16.8 x 10 cm.)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.576.5(6)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, created collaboratively by French designer Jean Charles Delafosse and architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot, offers a witty glimpse into the lively world of 18th-century print culture. Rendered in pen and black ink with layers of gray and colored wash over chalk, the small sheet captures the expressive possibilities of the medium, allowing for both sharp line work and soft tonal modeling. The artists, known for their ornamental and architectural designs, bring a playful yet precise touch to the caricature format. The subject—a printseller—likely pokes gentle fun at the b...
About the Artist
Jean Charles Delafosse|Ennemond Alexandre Petitot · 1734–1789
French architect. Comment on works: architect; copper engraver Comment on works: Architect; Draughtsman; Ornamentist; Engraver