Mask of a Bald Man with Tufty Sideburns, from Divers Masques

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching, created around 1635– by François Chauveau Jacques Van Merlen, belongs to the series *Divers Masques* (Various Masks). Measuring just over two inches tall, the print captures a bald character with distinctive tufty sideburns, rendered in fine lines that highlight the mask’s exaggerated features. Chauveau, a prominent French engraver and illustrator, often collaborated on ornamental designs, while Van Merlen contributed his Flemish precision to the etching process. In the seventeenth century, such mask designs served both theatrical and decorative purposes. They reflected the era’s fascination with commedia dell’arte, courtly entertainments, and carnival traditions, where exaggerated facial types helped audiences instantly recognize stock characters. As part of the Metropolitan Museum’s collection of prints and ornament, this work illustrates how small-scale etchings functioned as pattern books for designers, costumers, and print collectors across Europe. The intimate size and crisp linework invite close looking, revealing the artists’ skill in transforming a simple profile into an expressive, almost living presence. Today it offers a charming glimpse into the playful visual culture of Baroque France.

About the Artist

François Chauveau|Jacques Van Merlen · 1613–1676

Comment on works: Miniature painter; History; Genre; Portraits