Ruines d'Aqueduc
Medium
Etching, first state
Dimensions
sheet: 7 5/16 x 10 11/16 in. (18.6 x 27.2 cm) image: 5 11/16 x 8 1/4 in. (14.4 x 21 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1945
Accession Number
45.35.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
This etching, titled *Ruines d'Aqueduc*, captures the allure of ancient Roman architecture through the lens of17th-century French printmaking. Created in the first state by Jean Morin after a design by Claude Lorrain (also known as Claude Gellée), it exemplifies the classical landscape tradition that defined Lorrain’s work. The artist, celebrated for his luminous depictions of the Italian countryside, often incorporated ruins to evoke nostalgia for antiquity and the harmony between nature and human achievement. As an etching, this print allowed wider audiences to appreciate Lorrain’s atmosphe...
About the Artist
Jean Morin|Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée) · 1605–1650
Jean Morin (c. 1605–1650) was one of the most accomplished French engravers of the seventeenth century, a master of the portrait print whose work stands among the finest examples of French graphic art in its era. Little is known about his early life or training, though his technique suggests exposure to both French and Flemish engraving traditions, the latter being the dominant force in European p...