The Virgin and Child seated on a pedestal at center, to the right a monk offers a flower, and in the foreground a saint kneels before them while Saint Lawrence rests his hands on a gridiron; from 'Recueil d'estampes d'après les plus beaux tableaux et d'après les plus beaux desseins qui sont en France, Cabinet Crozat' after a drawing by Pietro Antonio de' Pietri
Medium
Aquatint imitating a chiaroscuro woodcut printed in green over etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 21 in. × 15 5/16 in. (53.4 × 38.9 cm) Plate: 16 9/16 × 9 9/16 in. (42 × 24.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1960
Accession Number
60.708(136)
Art Historical Context
This exquisite print from around 1729 captures a tender devotional scene centered on the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child enthroned on pedestal. To the right, a monk presents a flower in homage, while a kneeling saint offers reverence in the foreground and Saint Lawrence rests his hands on the gridiron that symbolizes his martyrdom. The composition, originally drawn by the Italian artist Pietro Antonio de’ Pietri, was translated into print by Anne Claude Philippe de Tubières, comte de Caylus, and Nicolas Le Sueur. The work belongs to the celebrated *Recueil d’estampes d’après les plus beaux t...