Design for a frame for the portrait of Armand Guéraud
Medium
Etching and drypoint on laid paper; fourth state of fourteen (Schneiderman)
Dimensions
plate: 7 5/16 x 5 7/8 in. (18.6 x 14.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.78.57
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1862, French etcher Charles Meryon this intricate *Design for a Frame for the Portrait of Armandéraud*, a testament to his mastery beyond his famed Parisian cityscapes. Meryon, a key figure in the 19th-century etching, collaborated closely with Armand Guérard (noted here alongside Meryon), likely his friend and fellow artist or printer. This print depicts an elaborate ornamental frame, possibly incorporating books as suggested by its tagging, tailored for Guéraud's portrait and reflecting the opulent decorative tastes of Second Empire France. Executed in etching and drypoint on laid paper,...
About the Artist
Charles Meryon|Armand Guérard · 1821–1868
Charles Meryon, born on November 23, 1821, in Paris, was the illegitimate son of English physician Dr. Charles Lewis Meryon and dancer Pierre-Narcisse Chaspoux (stage name Narcisse Gentil) at the Paris Opéra. His half-sister Fanny, from his mother's prior relationship with Viscount Lowther, remained in contact after their mother's death in 1838. Raised partly outside Paris before attending Pension...