Earth
ca. 1748
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 12 5/8 × 10 1/4 in. (32.1 × 26 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1956
Accession Number
56.646.1(3)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created around 1748, *Earth* is an etching by engraver Jean Daullé after a design by François Boucher. Measuring just over 12 by 10 inches, this intimate print belongs to a series representing the four elements, a popular allegorical theme in 18th-century France. Daullé’s precise etching technique captures the richness of Boucher’s original composition, translating painterly effects into fine lines and tonal gradations suited to the print medium. Boucher, a leading figure of the Rococo movement, infused such works with graceful figures, lush natural motifs, and a sense of playful elegance. He...
About the Artist
Jean Daullé|François Boucher (French|French) · 1703 |1703 –1763 |1770
French, Abbeville 1703–1763 Paris|French, Paris 1703–1770 Paris