The Virgin and Christ Child Served by Angels

Art Historical Context

In the serene etching *The Virgin and Christ Child by Angels* (1640), French artist Laurent de La Hy collaborates with engraver François Langlois to a tender biblical scene. The Virgin Mary cradles the infant Christ, attended by ethereal angels offering fruits and flowers—a classic motif of divine nurturing rooted in Renaissance and Baroque devotional art. Created during France's Louis XIII era, this print reflects the era's blend of emotional piety and emerging Classicism, where de La Hyre's graceful compositions emphasized harmony and elegance over dramatic intensity. As a first-state etching from a series of three (per Robert-Dumesnil catalog), this 11½ × 15⅞-inch sheet captures the purest form of the design before later revisions. Etching, using acid to incise lines into a metal plate, allowed for intricate details like the angels' flowing drapery and soft modeling, making fine art accessible beyond paintings. Produced in Paris, it exemplifies 17th-century printmaking's role in disseminating religious imagery to devout households and collectors. Acquired via the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this work highlights the technical virtuosity of French Baroque prints, inviting viewers to ponder the sacred harmony between heaven and earth.

About the Artist

Laurent de La Hyre|François Langlois · 1606–1656

Laurent de La Hyre (1606–1656) was a French painter whose elegant, classical compositions placed him among the finest artists of the first generation of French Baroque painters working in Paris. Born into an artistic family — his father Étienne de La Hyre was also a painter — Laurent received his early training largely through independent study rather than formal apprenticeship under a single domi...