Contes et nouvelles de Bocace florentin : traduction libre, accommodée au gout de ce temps, & enrichie de figures en taille-douce gravées par Mr. Romain de Hooge

Art Historical Context

This 1697 two-volume edition presents Giovanni Boccaccio’s celebrated *Decameron*—here titled *Contes et nouvelles de Bocace florentin*—in a lively French translation adapted to contemporary tastes. Originally written in the mid-fourteenth century, the hundred tales offered Renaissance readers both entertainment and moral reflection; by the late seventeenth century they continued to circulate widely in illustrated editions that made the stories accessible to new audiences across Europe. The volumes are enriched by etchings from the Dutch master Romeyn de Hooghe, whose energetic baroque style animates the narratives with dynamic compositions, expressive figures, and intricate detail. Working in the medium of taille-douce (copperplate engraving), de Hooghe helped elevate book illustration to an art form that combined storytelling with visual sophistication. At just over six inches tall, these portable volumes demonstrate how finely printed and illustrated books served as both literary treasures and objects of refined collecting in the age of Louis XIV. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum as a gift from Jayne Wrightsman, the set preserves an important moment when literature, translation, and printmaking converged to shape European cultural life.

About the Artist

Kleihnans|Giovanni Boccaccio|Romeyn de Hooghe|George Gallet ( |Italian|Dutch|Netherlandish) · 0 |1313 |1645 | –0 |1375 |1708 |

|Italian, Paris 1313–1375 Certaldo, Tuscany|Dutch, Amsterdam 1645–1708 Haarlem|