M.e de Sévigné, 1644

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 2228a

Art Historical Context

This 1832 lithograph by Achille Devéria offers a striking portrait of Madame de Sévigné, evoking her appearance around 1644. Created during the height of the Romantic era, the work measures 340 by 256 millimeters and showcases lithography’s ability to capture fine details with a soft, velvety texture that was ideal for reproducing historical likenesses. Devéria, a leading French lithographer of his time, helped popularize the medium as both an artistic and accessible form of printmaking. His portrait revives the image of the celebrated 17th-century letter writer, whose witty correspondence pr...

About the Artist

Achille Devéria · 1800–1857

Achille Jacques-Jean-Marie Devéria (1800–1857) was a French painter and lithographer whose prolific output and sophisticated portrait work made him one of the most important visual chroniclers of French Romantic culture. Born in Paris on February 6, 1800, Devéria came of age during the Restoration period and became closely associated with the Romantic movement that dominated French arts and letter...