Menghina with a Basket of Herbs
c. 1710/1715
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 22.5 × 14.9 cm (8 7/8 × 5 7/8 in.) sheet: 31 × 19.5 cm (12 3/16 × 7 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
William B. O'Neal Fund
Accession Number
2020.43.15
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate etching *Menghina with a Basket of Herbs*, a collaborative gem from around 1710–1715 by Bolognese master Giuseppe Maria Crespi and engraver Ludovico Mattioli. Crespi, a leading figure in the late Baroque, was renowned for his vivid genre scenes capturing the humble lives of peasants and laborers with empathetic realism. Here, the titular Menghina—likely a rustic herbalist or servant—holds a basket brimming with fresh herbs, evoking the everyday vitality of early 18th-century Italian countryside life. This print exemplifies the era's fascination with naturalism and the macc...