Diverses Pieces de Serruriers, page 15 (recto)
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 13/16 × 7 5/16 in. (27.5 × 18.5 cm) Plate: 6 11/16 × 4 3/4 in. (17 × 12 cm)
Classification
Albums|Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Daniel Ergmann Gift, 2014
Accession Number
2014.95(15)
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, where we showcase *Diverses Pièces de Serruriers page 15 (recto)*, an exquisite engraving from around 1663. Created collaboratively by Hugues Brisville, Jean Berain, Gabriel Ladame, this belongs to a rare album of ornamental designs tailored for serruriers—master locksmiths and wrought-iron artisans of 17th-century France. During Louis XIV's reign, such intricate patterns fueled the opulent decorative arts, adorning grand châteaux and palaces with elaborate grilles, locks, and balustrades that blended functionality with baroque splendor. The engraving medium, with its precise plate size of 6 11/16 × 4 3/4 inches, allowed for meticulous reproduction of motifs like scrolling foliage, fantastical creatures, and geometric flourishes—hallmarks of the era's ornament and architecture movement. Jean Berain, an influential designer at the French court, contributed to this legacy, bridging fine art and craft. These prints served as invaluable pattern books, guiding artisans to elevate everyday metalwork into sculptural masterpieces. Acquired through the Daniel Ergmann Gift in 2014, this sheet (10 13/16 × 7 5/16 inches) invites us to marvel at how 17th-century innovation democratized luxury design, influencing everything from Versailles' gates to modern decorative ironwork. A testament to collaborative genius!
About the Artist
Hugues Brisville|Jean Berain|Gabriel Ladame ( |French|French) · 1633 |1640 |1645 –1699 |1711 |1668
French, born ca. 1633, active Paris 1663|French, Saint-Mihiel 1640–1711 Paris|French, active 1645–68