Ptolémée
Medium
Engraving (figure by Rousselet) and etching (background by Bosse)
Dimensions
sheet: 14 x 8 3/8 in. (35.5 x 21.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.601.116
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created around 1639–40, *Ptolémée* is a striking example of collaborative printmaking in seventeenth-century France. The work combines the talents of several artists: Gilles Rousselet engraved the central figure with precise, linear detail, while Abraham Bosse contributed the etched background. Pierre Mariette and Claude Vignon are also credited, reflecting the common practice of specialists working together to produce refined prints for collectors and scholars. This engraving and etching technique allowed for both sharp definition in the portrait and atmospheric depth in the surrounding spac...
About the Artist
Abraham Bosse|Pierre Mariette|Gilles Rousselet|Claude Vignon · 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 ...