Study for an Engraving of "Songs in the Opera of Flora"
ca. 1737
Medium
Pen and blue and brown ink, graphite, with slight traces of red chalk
Dimensions
2 13/16 x 3 15/16 n. (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
44.54.17
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hubert François Gravelot (1699–1773), a leading French Rococo artist andaver, created this delicate *Study for an Engraving ofSongs in the Opera of"* around 1737. Known for his elegant illustrations in books, theater designs, and prints, Gravelot bridged French and English artistic circles during the opulent Rococo era. This preparatory drawing, just 7.2 x 10 cm, captures his skill in refining compositions for eventual engraving, likely intended to illustrate sheet music or a libretto from the opera *Flora*—a whimsical celebration of the Roman goddess of flowers, blending music, dance, and myt...
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...