Impetuous Storm
ca. 1770
Medium
Engraving; first state of two
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 13 7/16 × 16 13/16 in. (34.2 × 42.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.600.1523
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
"Impetuous Storm," an engraving created around 1770 after a design by Joseph Vernet, captures the raw drama of nature’s fury at sea. Vernet, a celebrated French marine painter, was renowned for his vivid depictions of tempests and shipwrecks that emphasized the sublime power of the elements. This print, executed in the first of two states by engraver Bertaud, translates Vernet’s dynamic composition into fine lines and tonal contrasts, allowing viewers to sense the crashing waves and turbulent skies even on paper. Produced during the late Enlightenment, the work reflects growing European fascination with nature’s uncontrollable forces, themes that would later influence Romantic artists. As a reproductive engraving, it played a vital cultural role by making Vernet’s dramatic vision accessible beyond the original painting’s owners, circulating widely among collectors and the public. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this sheet—measuring just over 13 by 16 inches—showcases the technical precision of 18th-century printmaking while preserving the emotional intensity of Vernet’s marine scenes.
About the Artist
Bertaud|Joseph Vernet (French|French) · 1714 | –1789 |
French, Avignon 1714–1789 Paris|French