Les Petits Buveurs de lait (The Little Milk Drinkers), from Suite d'estampes gravées par madame la marquise de Pompadour d'après les pierres gravées de Guay, graveur du Roi
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 5/16 × 5 13/16 in. (18.6 × 14.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Robert Hartshorne, 1924
Accession Number
24.33(54)
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Les Petits Buve de lait (The Little Drinkers)**, created in 1751, is a delightful print from a rare suite engraved by Madame la Marquise de Pompad, the influential mistress of King Louis XV and a passionate arts patron. Working after designs based on engraved gemstones by the royal engraver Guay,padour herself executed the etching and engraving—a remarkable feat for a noblewoman of her era. Associated with François Boucher, the preeminent Rococo artist known his playful, elegant scenes, this work captures the movement's whimsical charm in a compact sheet measuring just 7 5/16 × 5 13/16 inche...