Tail-piece: Woman's Head (Cul-de-lampe: Buste de femme)
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 3 3/8 x 3 15/16 in. (8.6 x 10 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.601.210
Tags
Art Historical Context
Claude Mellan, a 17th-century Frenchaver renowned for his intricate line work during the Baroque era, created this delicate *Tail-piece: Woman's HeadCul-de-lampe: Buste de femme)*. a *cul-de-lampe*—a decorative tailpiece often used to adorn the end of a book page or chapter—this small engraving (just 3 3/8 x 3 15/16 inches) captures bust of a woman surrounded by whimsical motifs like, leaves, and food. Mellan's engrav exemplify the period's technical virtuosity, transforming tiny metal plates into richly detailed images through precise burin incisions. The artwork's classification as a print ...
About the Artist
Claude Mellan · 1598–1688
Claude Mellan (1598-1688) was a French draughtsman, engraver, and painter who became one of the most innovative printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Abbeville to a family of coppersmiths, Mellan rose to become Peintre et Graveur Ordinaire du Roi (Painter and Engraver in Ordinary to the King), achieving recognition for his extraordinary technical mastery. Mellan's artistic significanc...