Le Père Étienne de Cesena
Medium
Engraving; first state of two (BN)
Dimensions
sheet: 7 1/2 x 5 5/8 in. (19 x 14.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1941
Accession Number
41.57.13
Tags
Art Historical Context
This 1674 engraving, titled *Le Père Étienne de Cesena*, captures a dignified portrait of a religious figure created by the renowned French printmaker Claude Mellan. Measuring just 7½ by 5⅝ inches, the work exemplifies the intimate scale often favored in seventeenth-century prints intended for personal devotion or scholarly collections. As the first state of two, it offers a rare glimpse into the early impressions of the plate, preserving the crisp details before any later modifications. Mellan was celebrated for his innovative engraving technique, relying on fine parallel lines to model form...
About the Artist
Claude Mellan|Étienne de Cesena · 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...