Frieze of Ornament with Clasped Hands and Anchor
1625–76
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 2 1/2 × 6 15/16 in. (6.3 × 17.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1957
Accession Number
57.581.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
Abraham Bosse's *Frieze of Ornament Clasped Hands and Anchor (1625–76) is a delicate etching that captures the exuberant spirit of 17th-century ornamental design. As a master etcher and influential theorist on printmaking, Bosse intricate works like this one, which served as models for architects, craftsmen, and decorators during the Baroque era. This small sheet (just 2½ × 6⅞ inches) exemplifies his technical prowess in etching—a process using acid to bite lines into a metal plate—allowing for the fine, flowing details that made prints ideal for disseminating decorative motifs across Europe. ...
About the Artist
Abraham Bosse · 1602–1676
Abraham Bosse (1604–1676) was a French printmaker and theorist whose approximately 1,600 etchings provide an unparalleled visual record of 17th-century French life. Born to Huguenot parents in Tours, he trained in Paris under Melchior Tavernier and became a devoted follower of Jacques Callot's technical innovations. Bosse's meticulous etchings depicted subjects ranging from daily life and fashion ...