Study for an Engraving of "Songs in the Opera of Flora"
ca. 1737
Medium
Pen and blue ink with black chalk and graphite
Dimensions
2 13/16 x 3 15/16 in. (7.2 x 10 cm.)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1944
Accession Number
44.54.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hubert François Gravelot, leading French Rococo artist and engraver active in both Paris and London during the early 18th century, this delicate *Study for an Engraving of " in the Opera of Flora around 1737. As a preparatory drawing for a print likely intended for sheet music or theatrical publication, it captures a bustling scene with men amid architectural elements—perhaps performers or revelers from the mythological opera celebrating Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers. Gravelot's intricate designs were pivotal in popularizing Rococo's playful elegance in book illustrations, theater décor,...
About the Artist
Hubert François Gravelot
Hubert-François Bourguignon, known as Gravelot (1699–1773), was a leading French Rococo engraver, illustrator, and designer whose elegant draftsmanship bridged the artistic worlds of France and England. Born in Paris to a tailor, he adopted his pseudonym from a godfather and grew up alongside his elder brother, the geographer Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville. After neglecting studies at the Col...