The favorite nanny (La balia favorita)
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 10 1/4 × 8 1/4 in. (26.1 × 21 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.1815
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Favorite Nanny (Laia favorita)** This charming etching, measuring 10¼ × 8¼ inches, captures a tender moment between a woman—likely a devoted nanny—and an infant, accompanied by a bird, ev warmth and everyday affection. Attributed to both Anthony vanck, the eminent Flemish Baroque portraitist known for his elegant depictions of nobility and children, and Giuseppe Maria Cres, a Bolognese artist active from 1685 to 1747, it represents a reproductive print. Crespi, a master of dramatic lighting and emotional depth in the late Baroque transitioning to Rococo, likely adapted van Dyck's origin...
About the Artist
Anthony van Dyck|Giuseppe Maria Crespi · 1599–1641
Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist who revolutionized portrait painting and became the most influential court painter in 17th-century England. Born in Antwerp as the seventh of twelve children to a prosperous silk merchant, van Dyck displayed extraordinary artistic talent from childhood. He trained under Hendrick van Balen before joining Peter Paul Rubens's workshop as a...