Study for an Engraving of "Songs in the Opera of Flora"
Medium
Pen and blue and brown ink, black chalk, and slight traces of red chalk
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
44.54.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hubert François Gravelot, leading French Rococo artist andaver (1699–1773), created this delicate *Study for an Engraving of "Songs in the Opera of Flora"* in 1737. Working in Paris and later London, Gravelot was renowned for his intricate illustrations that captured the playful elegance of Rococo style, often blending theater, music, and mythology. This small preparatory drawing (just 2 13/16 x 3 15/16 inches) served as a blueprint for an engraving, likely tied to sheet music or promotional imagery for an opera celebrating Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring—a popular motif in 18th...
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...