Lamentation
1683
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 19 3/8 x 14 7/16 in. (49.2 x 36.7 cm) plate: 17 1/8 x 12 11/16 in. (43.5 x 32.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Carl Joseph Ulmann, 1924
Accession Number
24.57.79
Tags
Art Historical Context
Claude Mellan's *Lamentation* (1683) is a poignant engraving capturing one of Christianity's most emotive scenes: the mourning of Christ’s dead body by the Virgin Mary Mary Magdalene. Created late in the French artist's career—he lived from 1598 to 1688—this print embodies the intense devotional art of the Baroque era, grief and piety intertwined to evoke profound spiritual reflection. Mellan, renowned for his masterful line work, drew from religious traditions to convey raw sadness and suffering, as evident in the tags associated with the piece. As an engraving on a substantial plate (17 1/8...
About the Artist
Claude Mellan · 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...