Study for an Engraving of "Songs of the Opera of Flora"
ca. 1737
Medium
Black chalk, graphite, pen and blue ink, with slight traces of red chalk
Dimensions
2 13/16 x 4 in. (7.2 x 10.1 cm.)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1944
Accession Number
44.54.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hubert François Gravelot, a leading French rococo artist and engraver active in both Paris and London during the early 18th century created this delicate *Study for an Engraving of " of the Opera of Flora around 1737. As a preparatory drawing for a print tied to the lighthearted opera celebrating the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, it captures Gravelot's signature elegance and whimsy. The intimate scale—barely larger than a postcard—invites close inspection, revealing a scene likely featuring graceful human figures seated on chairs, evoking the pastoral revelry of the theater. Crafted wi...
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...