Float with Apollo and the Python, from the fireworks display celebrating Louis XIII's return from a military campaign, Paris, February 1623

Art Historical Context

In the grand tradition of Baroque spectacle, Michel Lasne's 1623 etching *Float with Apollo and the Python immortalizes a highlight from a lavish fireworks display in Paris. Held in February to celebrate King Louis XIII's return from a military campaign the event featured elaborate floats blending mythology and pyrotechnics. This float depicts the god Apollo, bow in hand, slaying the Python—a symbol of victory over chaos—echoing the king's martial prowess amid bursts of fireworks and hunting motifs. As a master French engraver, Lasne employed etching, a technique using acid to bite intricate lines into a metal plate, allowing for detailed reproduction of fleeting festivities. Measuring about 8 by 11 inches, this print captures the ornate architecture and ornamentation of the float, preserving an ephemeral royal extravaganza for posterity. Classified among prints of fêtes, it exemplifies early 17th-century reproductive art that documented courtly pomp. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection, the work highlights how such imagery served as propaganda, fusing classical mythology with contemporary glory to exalt the monarchy. A vivid window into Louis XIII's era, it invites us to imagine the night sky ablaze with light and legend.

About the Artist

Michel Lasne · 1590–1667

Michel Lasne (ca. 1590–1667) was a French engraver, draughtsman, and collector who became one of the most prolific printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Caen around 1590, Lasne was the son of a goldsmith, which provided him with early exposure to metalworking techniques essential for engraving. His career spanned the reigns of Louis XIII and the early years of Louis XIV, during which h...