The servant Mascarille, dressed as a marquis
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Image: 4 1/4 × 3 1/8 in. (10.8 × 8 cm) Sheet: 9 1/8 × 5 7/8 in. (23.2 × 15 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1933
Accession Number
33.104.2444
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the early 19th century, printmakers Jean Marie Leroux and Alexandre Joseph Desenne captured the whimsical world of Molière's comedy with *The Servant Mascarille, Dressed as a Marquis* (1824–26). This etching and engraving depicts the clever valet Mascarille from Molière's *Lesécieuses Ridicules* (1659), a satirical play poking fun at pretentious social climbers. Here, the servant struts in elaborate marquis attire, blurring class lines in a nod to France's post-Revolutionary fascination with social mobility and disguise. Desenne, known for his precise illustrations of literature and theater, collaborated with Leroux to produce this intimate print—measuring just 4¼ × 3⅛ inches. Etching allowed for fluid lines and expressive details, while engraving added sharp contrasts, making it ideal for reproducing theatrical scenes for a growing middle-class audience eager for affordable art. The tags hint at interactions between men and women, evoking the play's farcical romance and gender dynamics. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1933), this work highlights printmaking's role in democratizing culture, bridging 17th-century theater with 19th-century visual satire. A delightful glimpse into enduring French humor!
About the Artist
Jean Marie Leroux|Alexandre Joseph Desenne (French|French) · 1788 |1785 –1870 |1827
French, Paris 1788–1870 Paris|French, Paris 1785–1827 Paris