Design for the Headpiece of the "Gazette de France"
18th century
Medium
Black chalk, incised
Dimensions
7 7/8 x 5 1/16 in. (20 x 12.9 cm.)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Rogers Fund, 1966
Accession Number
66.759.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hubert François Gravelot, a prominent French Rococo artist of the 18th century created this delicate *Design for the Headpiece the "Gazette de France"*. Known for his intricate illustrations, book decorations, and ornamental designs, Gravelot captured the elegant spirit of the Enlightenment era. preparatory drawing features a coat of arms, likely intended as the decorative masthead for France's oldest national newspaper, founded in 1631 and a key source of official news and royal announcements. The *Gazette de France* headpieces were vital visual emblems, blending heraldry with artistic flour...
About the Artist
Hubert François Gravelot
Hubert-François Bourguignon, known as Gravelot (1699–1773), was a leading French Rococo engraver, illustrator, and designer whose elegant draftsmanship bridged the artistic worlds of France and England. Born in Paris to a tailor, he adopted his pseudonym from a godfather and grew up alongside his elder brother, the geographer Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville. After neglecting studies at the Col...