Design for a float, from 'Éloges et discours sur la triomphante réception du Roy en sa ville de Paris ...' by Jean-Baptiste de Machault

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 Pierre Firens I and Abraham Bosse, alongside author Machault and publisher Melchior Tavernier, the print exemplifies the precision of etching techniques popular in French printmaking at the time. Bosse, a master of the medium, brought intricate line work to life on a modest plate (7 13/16 × 11 in.), allowing detailed renderings of festive elements to be widely disseminated. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this piece from The Elisha Whittelsey Collection highlights how prints preserved ephemeral events, influencing ornament and architecture in royal festivities. Today, it offers a window into the opulent world of absolutist France, where art served propaganda as much as beauty.

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