Satyr Mask with a Laurel Wreath Draped Over the Horns, from Divers Masques
ca. 1635–45
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/8 × 1 5/8 in. (6 × 4.1 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1945
Accession Number
45.101.51
Tags
Art Historical Context
This enchanting etching, *Satyr Mask with a Laurel Wreath Draped Over Horns*, from the series *Divers Mas* (Various Masks), was created around 1635–45 by French engraver François Chauveau collaboration with Jacques Van Merlen. Measuring just 2⅜ × 1⅝ inches, this diminutive print exemplifies the exquisite precision of 17th-century etching, a technique where acid etches intricate lines into a metal plate, allowing for delicate details in ornamental designs. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it reflects the Baroque era's fascination with grotesque and thea...
About the Artist
François Chauveau|Jacques Van Merlen · 1613–1676
Comment on works: Miniature painter; History; Genre; Portraits