Illustration to Jean Desmarets' "L'Ariane"
published 1639
Medium
etching and engraving
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1981.48.4
Art Historical Context
Step into the dramatic world of 17th French literature with this captivating etching and engraving, *Illustration to Jean Desmare' "L'Ariane"*. Created by master printmaker Abraham Bosse after a design by painter Claude Vignon and published in 1639 it accompanies Desmarets de Saint-Slin's tragicomedyAriane*, a reimagining of the Greek of Ariadne—abandoned lover of Theseus. This print reflects the era's fascination with classical stories, infused with the theatrical flair of French Baroque literature under Louis XIII. Bosse, renowned for his precise reproductive prints, skillfully translates V...