Standbeeld van Venus of Amphitrite
1677
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
285; 398
About this artwork
verzamelaarsmerk, verso, gestempeld: Lugt 240
Art Historical Context
Claude Mellan's *Standbeeld van Venus ofitrite* (Statue of Venus or Amphit), created in 1677, is a striking engraving that captures the graceful form of a classical statue. Measuring 398 × 285 mm, this work reproduces an ancient sculpture of either the Roman goddess of love, Venus, or the sea Amphitrite, wife of Poseidon. Such ambiguity highlights the 17th-century fascination with Greco-Roman antiquity, where deities often blended in iconography, evoking timeless beauty and mythology. As a master French engraver (1598–1688), Mellan was celebrated for his precise line work during the Baroque e...
About the Artist
Claude Mellan · 1598–1688
Claude Mellan (1598-1688) was a French draughtsman, engraver, and painter who became one of the most innovative printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Abbeville to a family of coppersmiths, Mellan rose to become Peintre et Graveur Ordinaire du Roi (Painter and Engraver in Ordinary to the King), achieving recognition for his extraordinary technical mastery. Mellan's artistic significanc...