Man with a Cane, seen from behind, from The Garden of French Nobility
1629
Medium
Etching and engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
14.2 × 9.7 cm (5 5/8 × 3 7/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
108950
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Abraham Bosse’s understanding of Parisian high society and culture informs The Garden of French Nobility, a set of 18 plates from the first of his important print series. Working from drawings by fellow artist Jean de Saint-Igny, Bosse depicted an officer from the king’s court in contemporary fashion. Seventeenth-century French society saw a burgeoning of the bourgeoisie, along with attitudes and dress that attested to their success. Bosse’s anonymous officer stands poised and dignified, showing...
About the Artist
Abraham Bosse · 1602–1676
Abraham Bosse (1604–1676) was a French printmaker and theorist whose approximately 1,600 etchings provide an unparalleled visual record of 17th-century French life. Born to Huguenot parents in Tours, he trained in Paris under Melchior Tavernier and became a devoted follower of Jacques Callot's technical innovations. Bosse's meticulous etchings depicted subjects ranging from daily life and fashion ...