Monkey Mask, from Divers Masques

Art Historical Context

Behold the whimsical *Monkey Mask* from *Divers Masques* (Various Masks), a delightful etching created around 1635–45 by French engraver François Chauveau in collaboration with Jacques Van Merlen. Measuring just 2⅝ × 1⁹⁄₁₆ inches, this tiny print packs a punch of intricate detail, showcasing the artists' mastery of etching—a technique that uses acid to bite fine lines into a metal plate, allowing for precise, expressive reproductions ideal for decorative series like this one. Part of a broader collection of fantastical masks classified under Ornament & Architecture, the *Monkey Mask* captures a grotesque yet playful simian face, blending animal mimicry with human exaggeration. Such designs drew from 17th-century European fascination with grotesques, inspired by ancient Roman motifs and Renaissance ornamentation, often used in theater, carnivals, or architectural embellishments to evoke satire and folly. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, thanks to the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund of 1945, this piece highlights the era's printmaking boom, making high art accessible to collectors. Imagine it adorning a collector's cabinet of curiosities, a tiny portal to Baroque whimsy!

About the Artist

François Chauveau|Jacques Van Merlen · 1613–1676

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