Frontispiece for New Testament in Greek

Art Historical Context

Step into the intricate world of 17th French printmaking with Claude Mellan's *Frontispiece for New Testament in Greek* (1642), a masterful engraving commissioned by publishers Gabriel and Sébastien Cramoisy. This third state of four captures the grandeur of a Baroque-era title page for a scholarly edition of the Greek New, reflecting the era's deep reverence for sacred texts amid the Catholic Church's emphasis on classical scholarship and Counter-Reformation devotion. The composition likely draws on symbolic motifs like soaring angels, monumental obelisks, and flowing scripts, evoking divine inspiration and the eternal authority of scripture. Obelisks nod to ancient wisdom—echoing Egyptian influences revived in Renaissance and Baroque art—while angels herald the holy word, blending classical architecture with Christian iconography. Mellan, renowned for his virtuoso line work, employs fine burin techniques to achieve remarkable depth and texture on the copper plate, a hallmark of his style. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this 14 1/16 x 9 3/4-inch sheet exemplifies the Cramoisy brothers' legacy as leading Parisian printers of religious works. As a frontispiece, it not only adorns but elevates the book, inviting readers into a spiritual dialogue between antiquity and faith.

About the Artist

Claude Mellan|Gabriel Cramoisy|Sebastien Cramoisy · 1598–1688

Claude Mellan (1598-1688) was a French draughtsman, engraver, and painter who became one of the most innovative printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Abbeville to a family of coppersmiths, Mellan rose to become Peintre et Graveur Ordinaire du Roi (Painter and Engraver in Ordinary to the King), achieving recognition for his extraordinary technical mastery. Mellan's artistic significanc...