Nouvelle France, from the playing cards "Jeu de la Géographie"
Medium
Etching
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of the Estate of James Hazen Hyde, 1959
Accession Number
59.654.19(42)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This etching titled *Nouvelle France* forms part of the “Jeu de la Géographie,” a set of educational playing cards created in 1644 for the young Louis XIV. Designed by Jean Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin and etched by Stefano della Bella, the deck was published by Henri Le Gras under the patronage of Cardinal Mazarin. Each card introduced a region of the world, transforming geography lessons into an engaging game for the future king. The medium of etching allowed della Bella to render fine details with lively precision, making the cards both informative and visually appealing. In this example, two...
About the Artist
Stefano della Bella|Jean Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin|Henri Le Gras|Louis XIV, King of France|Cardinal Jules Mazarin · 1610–1664
Stefano della Bella (1610-1664) was one of the most prolific and versatile printmakers of the Italian Baroque period, leaving behind 1,052 prints and several thousand drawings that captured the vivid essence of 17th-century European life. Born in Florence on May 18, 1610, to a family of artists, he trained initially as a goldsmith before studying painting under Cesare Dandini and etching under Rem...