Chaire de LâEglise de St. Paul Par Mr. Masson
1657â1716
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-354-5
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Visitors to the Smithsonian American Art Museum are invited to explore *Chaire de L’Eglise de St. Paul Par Mr. Masson*, a captivating 17th-century print the French artist Masson, active between 1657 and 1716. The title translates to "Pulpit of the Church of St. Paul by Mr. Masson suggesting this work documents an ecclesiastical pulpit designed or crafted by the artist himself. Pulpits like this were central to French church architecture, serving as elevated platforms for sermons and symbolizing the power of the spoken word in religious life during the Baroque era. As a print—though the exact ...