Design for a float, from 'Éloges et discours sur la triomphante réception du Roy en sa ville de Paris ...' by Jean-Baptiste de Machault
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 5/8 × 11 13/16 in. (21.9 × 30 cm) Plate: 7 13/16 × 11 in. (19.9 × 28 cm)
Classification
Prints|Prints-Fete|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.619.13
Tags
Art Historical Context
This etching, titled *Design for a Float* from Jean-Baptiste de Machault's1629 publication *Éloges et sur la triomphante réception du Roy en sa de Paris*, captures the of a royal celebration in early 17th-century France Created to commemorate King Louis XIII's triumphant entry Paris, it depicts an elaborate festival float adorned with men,, and carriages—a vivid snapshot of Baroque-era pageantry. Such designs were essential for public spectacles that reinforced monarchical power, blending architecture, ornamentation, and performance to dazzle crowds. Collaboratively produced by engravers Pier...
About the Artist
Pierre Firens I|Abraham Bosse|Jean-Baptiste de Machault|Melchior Tavernier (French|Flemish) · 1584 |1580 –1635 |1638
French (active 1584–1635)|Flemish, Antwerp 1580–1638 Paris