Cul-de-lampe met een vrouw met een vaas op haar hoofd

About this artwork

plaatrand: hoogte 157 mm x breedte 136 mm

Art Historical Context

Claude Mellan's *Cul-de-lampe met een vrouw met een va op haar hoofd* (Tailpiece with a Woman Balancing a Vase on Her) is a delicate 17th-century engraving that exemplifies the artist's mastery of line work. Born in 1598, Mellan was a prominent French engraver active in Paris and Rome, renowned for intricate portraits, religious scenes, and innovative techniques, such as his famous single-line spiral engraving of the sudarium of Saint Veronica. small vignette, measuring just 157 mm high by 136 mm wide ( mark), likely served as a decorative tailpiece—known as a *cul-de-lampe*—at the end of a bo...

About the Artist

Claude Mellan · 1598–1688

Claude Mellan (1598-1688) was a French draughtsman, engraver, and painter who became one of the most innovative printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Abbeville to a family of coppersmiths, Mellan rose to become Peintre et Graveur Ordinaire du Roi (Painter and Engraver in Ordinary to the King), achieving recognition for his extraordinary technical mastery. Mellan's artistic significanc...