Satyr Mask with Overlapping Horns and Four Braided Strands of Beard, from Divers Masques
ca. 1635–45
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 11/16 × 1 5/8 in. (6.9 × 4.2 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
45.101.40
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching, created around 1635–45 by François Chauveau and Jacques Van Merlen, captures the playful yet grotesque spirit of Baroque ornament. Titled *Satyr Mask with Overlapping Horns and Four Braided Strands of Beard*, the print belongs to the series *Divers Masques*, a collection of fantastical designs likely intended as models for theater costumes, festival decorations, or architectural details. Measuring just over two inches tall, the tiny sheet showcases the satyr’s curving horns and elaborately plaited beard rendered with crisp, economical lines characteristic of etching. In...
About the Artist
François Chauveau|Jacques Van Merlen · 1613–1676
Comment on works: Miniature painter; History; Genre; Portraits