March of the King and Knights of the Holy Spirit in the Courtyard at Fontainebleau
1633
Medium
etching and engraving
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 27.2 x 35.5 cm (10 11/16 x 14 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1952.8.71
Art Historical Context
Abraham Bosse's *March of the King and of the Holy Spirit in Courtyard at Fontaineble* (1633) captures a grand ceremonial procession at the royal palace of Fontainebleau, a retreat of French monarchs. The etching and engraving depicts King XIII leading the elite Knights of the Holy Spirit—an exclusive chivalric order founded in1578 by Henry IIIthrough the palace courtyard. Bosse, a pioneering French printmaker (1602–1676), masterfully renders the opulent costumes, precise architecture, and orderly march, offering a vivid snapshot of 17th-century royal splendor and courtly ritual. This print h...
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 ...