The Drummer
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 7 3/8 × 5 1/16 in. (18.8 × 12.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.592.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Drummer**, an etching from the mid-17th century (circa 1620–1667), showcases the collaborative talents of French printmakers Michel Lasne and Abraham Bosse, with publication by Pierre Mariette. This intimate print, measuring just 7 3/8 × 5 1/16 inches on a trimmed sheet, captures a male musician intently playing a drum. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department—acquired in 1959 through The Elisha Whittelsey Fund—it exemplifies the vibrant world of 17th-century European printmaking, where etchings democratized art for a wider audience beyond oil paintings. ...
About the Artist
Michel Lasne|Abraham Bosse|Pierre Mariette · 1590–1667
Michel Lasne (ca. 1590–1667) was a French engraver, draughtsman, and collector who became one of the most prolific printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Caen around 1590, Lasne was the son of a goldsmith, which provided him with early exposure to metalworking techniques essential for engraving. His career spanned the reigns of Louis XIII and the early years of Louis XIV, during which h...