Study for a Book Vignette
18th century
Medium
Pen and gray ink, brush and gray wash, with framing lines
Dimensions
4 13/16 x 4 15/16 in. (12.3 x 12.6 cm)
Classification
Books
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Edward Pearce Casey Fund, 1985
Accession Number
1985.1116.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the elegant world of 18th-century book illustration, Pierre Edmé Babel *Study for a Book Vignette* the preparatory artistry behind decorative book elements. Created with pen and gray ink, brush and gray wash, subtle framing lines, this petite drawing (just under 5 inches square) exemplifies the meticulous techniques used by engravers like Babel, who specialized in vignettes—small, ornamental designs that adorned the headpieces, tailpieces, or chapter openings of printed volumes. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it reflects the era's Rococo flair for...